AUTHOR=Huang Ke , Meng Yucheng , Lu Jiyuan , Xu Lingdan , Wang Shiqi , Wang Huihui , Xu Zhaoqing 

TITLE=High expression of MARVELD3 as a potential prognostic biomarker for oral squamous cell carcinoma

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.1050402

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.1050402

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Tight junction-associated marvel proteins (TAMP) is a transmembrane protein whose members are associated with tight junctions between cells and epithelial remodeling. MARVEL domain containing 3 (<italic>MARVELD3</italic>) is one of the members of the TAMP. <italic>MARVELD3</italic>, as a novel tight junction protein involved in bicellular tight junction assembly, has attracted growing attention in the field of oncology. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of <italic>MARVELD3</italic> and to determine how it functions in tumorigenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), thus providing additional data to help the guidance of clinical practice.</p><p><bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> RNA-seq data and relevant clinical information were obtained from TCGA. Bioinformatics means used in this study included differential gene expression analysis, KM survival curve analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, nomogram analysis, ROC curve analysis, methylation level analysis, gene function enrichment analysis, and immune cell infiltration analysis.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold><italic>MARVELD3</italic> was significantly higher expressed in OSCC tissue than in normal tissue, and the overall survival of the high expression group was significantly lower than that of the normal group. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that <italic>MARVELD3</italic> could serve as an independent contributing factor to poor OSCC prognosis. The nomograms and ROC curves supported the results above. Its expression was negatively correlated with DNA methylation sites. Analysis of PPI networking and gene functional enrichment showed that <italic>MARVELD3</italic> was involved in the functional activities of DNA and RNA and was associated with immune cell infiltration.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> The high expression of <italic>MARVELD3</italic> is associated with poor prognosis in OSCC, and <italic>MARVELD3</italic> could be recognized as a novel independent prognostic factor for OSCC.</p>