SNX24 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma according to bioinformatics and experimentations.

BACKGROUND: Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) which is originated from endometrial epithelium, ranks the second among frequent malignant tumors in female reproductive system. The discovery of novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed to address unmet clinical demands. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis to identify key drivers of UCEC. METHODS: The prognostic factors for UCEC were analyzed by Human Protein Atlas (HPA), The University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN), and Encyclopedia of RNA Interactomes (ENCORI). The expression levels of the overlapped prognostic factors were analyzed by UALCAN, and ENCORI. The heatmap of the potential 12 prognostic factors was exhibited by UALCAN. The online databases including BioGrid, BioPlex and OpenCell were utilized to predict the molecules which could interact with SNX24. Cell proliferation was assessed by Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell invasion was detected by transwell assay. RESULTS: Of note, higher SNX24 predicted a worse prognosis of patients with UCEC, and SNX24 was overexpressed in patients with UCEC, as revealed by HPA, UALCAN and ENCORI. There were two molecules which could interact with SNX24, i.e., the casein kinase 1 (CSNK1A1 and CSNK1E). Silencing of SNX24 significantly inhibited proliferation and invasion of endometrial carcinoma (EC) cells by downregulating the expression of CSNK1A1 and CSNK1E. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data demonstrated the prognostic significance and tumor-promoting role of SNX24 in UCEC.