Identification of Kinesin Family Member 2A (KIF2A) as a Promising Therapeutic Target for Osteosarcoma

KIF2A correlates with lymphovascular invasion and higher tumor stage, and can be used to predict worse prognosis in patients with endometrial carcinoma

Kinesin family protein 2A (KIF2A) is a microtubule depolymerase that participates in the progression of various cancers; however, its clinical utility in endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to assess KIF2A expression and its relationship with prognosis in patients with EC. Data from 230 patients with EC who underwent tumor resection were reviewed in the current, retrospective study. KIF2A expression was measured in 230 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens of tumor tissue and 50 FFPE specimens of non-tumor tissue using immunohistochemistry (IHC). KIF2A expression was elevated in EC tumor tissue vs. non-tumor tissue (P<0.001). Furthermore, tumor KIF2A expression was linked with lymphovascular invasion (P=0.004) and higher International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P=0.001). High tumor KIF2A expression (IHC score>3) was correlated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS; P=0.014) and overall survival (OS; P=0.012). Moreover, the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that tumor KIF2A expression had an acceptable use for estimating the relapse and death risks at each timepoint within 6 years, with each area under the curve remaining stable at ≥0.7. Notably, tumor KIF2A expression (high vs. low) independently forecast shorter DFS (hazard ratio, 2.506; P=0.013), but not OS (P>0.05). Furthermore, information from The Human Protein Atlas database indicated that high tumor KIF2A expression was associated with worse OS in patients with EC (P=0.027). Tumor KIF2A is not only associated with lymphovascular invasion and higher FIGO stage, but also reflects unfavorable survival in patients with EC.

Kinesin Family Member 2A Serves as a Potential Biomarker Reflecting More Frequent Lymph Node Metastasis and Tumor Recurrence Risk in Basal-Like Breast Cancer Patients

Background

Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A) is reported as an oncogene and a potential biomarker for progression and prognosis in several cancers such as cervical, ovarian, and gastric. However, its clinical value in basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) is unclear. This study aims to evaluate KIF2A expression and its correlation with clinical features and survival rates in BLBC patients.

Methods

KIF2A mRNA and protein expressions in tumor and adjacent tissues from 89 BLBC patients are assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry assays, respectively.

Results

Both KIF2A protein (p < 0.001) and mRNA expressions (p < 0.001) were higher in tumor than in adjacent tissue. Besides, tumor KIF2A protein expression was positively correlated with N (p = 0.028) and TNM (p = 0.014) stages; meanwhile, tumor KIF2A mRNA expression was positively correlated with N stage (p = 0.046), TNM stage (p = 0.006), and tumor size (p = 0.043). Additionally, both tumor KIF2A protein (p = 0.035) and mRNA (p = 0.039) high expressions were correlated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) but not with overall survival (both p > 0.05). Moreover, tumor KIF2A protein expression was higher in relapsed patients than in non-relapsed patients within 3 years (p = 0.015) and 5 years (p = 0.031), whereas no difference was found between the dead and survivors within 3 years (p = 0.057) or 5 years (p = 0.107). Lastly, after adjustment, tumor KIF2A mRNA high exhibited a trend that correlated with DFS but without statistical significance (p = 0.051).

Conclusion

KIF2A correlates with more frequent lymph node metastasis and worse DFS in BLBC patients, shedding light on its potency as a biomarker for BLBC.

Clinical significance of kinesin family member 2A as a facilitating biomarker of disease surveillance and prognostication in cervical cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is one of the most common and fatal malignancies among females, and biomarkers are essential for assisting in its management. Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A) has been exhibited to be a potential maker in various cancers; however, its role in cervical cancer has yet to be reported. Therefore, we aimed to assess the expression of KIF2A and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics as well as survival profile in cervical cancer patients.

METHODS

A hundred and thirty-five cervical cancer patients who underwent simple trachelectomy or radical hysterectomy were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor tissues and paired adjacent tissues were acquired, in which KIF2A mRNA and protein expressions were determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry assay, respectively. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were documented with a median follow-up duration of 28.0 months.

RESULTS

KIF2A protein (P < 0.001) and mRNA (P < 0.001) expressions were both upregulated in tumor tissues compared to paired adjacent tissues in cervical cancer patients. In addition, tumor tissue KIF2A protein and mRNA expressions were positively associated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.025 and P = 0.010, respectively) and FIGO stage (P = 0.022 and P = 0.015, respectively) in cervical cancer patients. Moreover, patients with tumor tissue KIF2A high expression (mRNA and protein) displayed worse DFS (P = 0.010 and P = 0.046, respectively) and OS (P = 0.042 and P = 0.030, respectively) compared to patients with tumor tissue KIF2A low expression (mRNA and protein).

CONCLUSION

Tumor tissue KIF2A expression could serve as a biomarker enhancing the disease surveillance and prognostication in cervical cancer management.

Kinesin family member 18B regulates the proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer cells

Expression of kinesin family member 18B (KIF18B), an ATPase with key roles in cell division, is deregulated in many cancers, but its involvement in prostate cancer (PCa) is unclear. Here, we investigated the expression and function of KIF18B in human PCa specimens and cell lines using bioinformatics analyses, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence microscopy, and RT-qPCR and western blot analyses. KIF18B was overexpressed in PCa specimens compared with paracancerous tissues and was associated with poorer disease-free survival. In vitro, KIF18B knockdown in PCa cell lines promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis, while KIF18B overexpression had the opposite effects. In a mouse xenograft model, KIF18B overexpression accelerated and promoted the growth of PCa tumors. Bioinformatics analysis of control and KIF18B-overexpressing PCa cells showed that genes involved in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway were significantly enriched among the differentially expressed genes. Consistent with this observation, we found that KIF18B overexpression activates the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway in PCa cells both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results suggest that KIF18B plays a crucial role in PCa via activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway, and raise the possibility that KIF18B could have utility as a novel biomarker for PCa.