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. 2024 Oct 11;27(11):111139. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111139

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Expression analysis of sialyltransferase genes in human colon cancer (COAD) in TCGA database

(A) Comparison of expression between cancer tissues and normal tissues. TP: primary solid tumor (285 samples). NT: solid tissue normal (41 samples). y axis is expression of the gene: log2 (transcripts per kilobase million+1). St3gal1 tended to be more abundant in cancer tissues (p = 0.11), but other sialyltransferase genes were significantly more expressed in normal tissues.

(B) Survival data from the COAD in TCGA database that had high (blue line) or low (red line) expression of the individual STs. The expression level of sialyltransferases in human colon cancer patients was divided into high and low groups. The low groups of St3gal1, St6galnac1, St6galnac3, and St8sia6 were those with expression values less than 650.0797, 4325.628, 58.5373, and 2.265, respectively. The groups with high St3gal1, high St6galnac3, and high St8sia6 tended to have lower survival rates (p = 0.013, 0.0035, and 0.071, respectively), whereas the group with low expression of St6galnac1 tended to have a poorer prognosis (p = 0.26).

(C) Analysis of COAD TNM staging in each gene expression. Lymph node metastasis analysis based on the difference of expression of sialyl transferase genes. “n0” means no metastasis. “1” means metastasis to the neighborhood, and “2” means metastasis to the distance. Symptoms become more serious from “A” to “C”.

(D) Metastasis analysis based on the difference of expression of sialyltransferase genes. “m0” means not spread to other regions. “1” means spread to other regions and b indicates a more serious condition than a. mx means “Metastasis cannot be measured”.

(E) Primary tumor status analysis for the difference in the expression levels of sialyltransferase genes. t1, t2, t3, and t4: Refers to the size and/or extent of the main tumor. The higher the number after t, the larger the tumor or the more it has grown into nearby tissues. t3 may be further divided to provide more details, such as t3a and t3b. A comparative analysis of cancer metastasis tendency based on the expression of sialyltransferases showed that the high group had a high metastatic tendency (p = 0.009) in the St3gal1. In the St8sia6 group, the high group tended to metastasize easily (p = 0.255). In addition, no significant difference was observed on evaluating the degree of the metastasis and size and/or extension of main tumor (Figures 3D and 3E). Statistics were performed in the following manner. (A) Differences between tumor and normal were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and evaluated using p value. (B) Differences between ST-expression high and low group about survival rate were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum test and evaluated using p value. (C–E) Differences in these groups were analyzed using the Chi square test and evaluated using p value. The p value indicates a difference in metastatic tendency between the high and low groups. ∗∗∗p < 0.001, ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗p < 0.05.