The Expression And Clinical Significance Of INHBB Gene In Colorectal Cancer By Bioinformatics Analysis

Objective: Inhibin subunit beta B(INHBB)is a protein-coding gene that participated in the synthesis of the transforming growth factor-?(TGF-?)family members.The study is aimed at exploring the expression,clinical relevance and prognostic significance of INHBB in patients with colorectal cancer(CRC)based on bioinformatics analysis.Methods: The transcription data,methylation data,clinicopathological data and survival data of colorectal cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,and multiple colorectal cancer datasets and survival data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database.Firstly,GEO and TCGA databases were utilized to evaluate the INHBB gene transcription level of colorectal cancer tissue.Secondly,we evaluated the INHBB methylation level and the relationship between expression and methylation levels of Cp G islands in CRC tissue.Additionally,the corresponding clinical data were obtained to further explore the association of INHBB with clinical and survival features.Finally,Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)was performed to explore the gene ontology and signaling pathways of INHBB involved.Results: The transcription level of INHBB was higher in colorectal cancer tissue than that in normal adjacent tissue in TCGA and GEO databases.Although the promoter of INHBB was hypermethylated in CRC,methylation did not ultimately correlate with the expression of INHBB.Overexpression of INHBB was significantly and positively associated with invasion depth,distant metastasis,and TNM stage,but not with gender and age.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that high expression of INHBB was correlated with worse overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS).Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that INHBB expression,age,depth of invasion,distant metastasis and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for overall survival of colorectal cancer patients.From the results of GSEA,Gene Oncology enrichment analysis showed that INHBB overexpression was closely correlated with growth factor binding,cell homeostasis,mesenchymal differentiation,and other cellular and biological processes.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis showed that INHBB overexpression was closely correlated with Hedgehog signaling pathway,ECM receptor interaction,TGF-? signaling pathway,focal adhesion,and other cancer related signaling pathways.Conclusion: INHBB overexpression was closely correlated with worse prognosis in colorectal cancer.INHBB might be a potential prognostic biomarker and a novel therapeutic target for CRC.