AUTHOR=Liu Yuan-jie , Zeng Shu-hong , Hu Yi-dou , Zhang Yong-hua , Li Jie-pin 

TITLE=Overexpression of NREP Promotes Migration and Invasion in Gastric Cancer Through Facilitating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.746194

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2021.746194

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=<p>The identification of biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets for gastric cancer (GC), the most common cause of cancer-related deaths around the world, is currently a major focus area in research. Here, we examined the utility of Neuronal Regeneration Related Protein (<italic>NREP</italic>) as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GC. We assessed the clinical relevance, function, and molecular role of <italic>NREP</italic> in GC using bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. Our results showed that in GC, <italic>NREP</italic> overexpression was significantly associated with a poor prognosis. Our findings also suggested that <italic>NREP</italic> may be involved in the activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), with transforming growth factor β1 mediating both processes. In addition, <italic>NREP</italic> expression showed a positive correlation with the abundance of M2 macrophages, which are potent immunosuppressors. Together, these results indicate that <italic>NREP</italic> is overexpressed in GC and affects GC prognosis. Thus, <italic>NREP</italic> could be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.</p>