AUTHOR=Xie Zhenyu , Li Xin , He Yuzhen , Wu Song , Wang Shiyue , Sun Jianjian , He Yuchen , Lun Yu , Xin Shijie , Zhang Jian 

TITLE=Analysis of the Prognostic Value and Potential Molecular Mechanisms of TREM-1 Overexpression in Papillary Thyroid Cancer via Bioinformatics Methods

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.646793

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2021.646793

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) has been reported as a biomarker in many cancers. However, the biological function of TREM-1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains unknown.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We obtained TREM-1 expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Enrichment analysis of coexpressed genes and <italic>TREM-1</italic> methylation analysis were performed <italic>via</italic> LinkedOmics. The correlations between TREM-1 and immune infiltrates were investigated <italic>via</italic> ESTIMATE, TIMER and TISIDB. We analyzed the association of TREM-1 expression with pan-cancer overall survival <italic>via</italic> Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA).</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p><italic>TREM-1</italic> has lower methylation levels and higher expression levels in PTC tissues compared to normal tissues. TREM-1 expression is significantly associated with poor prognosis, advanced T classification, advanced N classification, and an increased incidence of <italic>BRCA2</italic> and <italic>BRAF</italic> mutations. Genes coexpressed with <italic>TREM-1</italic> primarily participate in immune-related pathways. TREM-1 expression is positively correlated with immune infiltration, tumor progression and poor overall survival across cancers.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>TREM-1 is a good prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in PTC. TREM-1 may promote thyroid cancer progression through immune-related pathways. Methylation may act as an upstream regulator of TREM-1 expression and biological function. Additionally, TREM-1 has broad prognostic value in a pan-cancer cohort.</p></sec>