[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2023, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (7): 580-592.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.23-029

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

E2F family play important roles in tumorigenesis

Feifei Li1(), Yun Wang1, Jihai Gu1,2, Yuming Zhang1,2, Fengsong Liu1,2(), Zhihua Ni1,2()   

  1. 1. School of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province, Baoding 071002, China
  • Received:2023-02-10 Revised:2023-05-01 Online:2023-07-20 Published:2023-05-15
  • Contact: Fengsong Liu,Zhihua Ni E-mail:huxiaoerfei@outlook.com;liufengsong@hbu.edu.cn;nizhihua@hbu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(42207336);Hebei Province Natural Science Foundation Joint Fund for Bioagriculture Project(C202204227);Post-graduates Innovation Fund Project of Hebei University(HBU2022ss016)

Abstract:

Tumors are serious threats to human health. The transcription factors are regarded as the potential targets for tumor treatment. As an important family of transcription factors, E2F family transcription factors (E2Fs) play vital roles in cell proliferation and regulation. However, the expression feature, gene functions, and molecular interactions of E2Fs in tumorigenesis are not clear. In this study, the transcriptome data, mutation data, and protein-protein interaction data of 10 high-incidence tumors in China from the TCGA database were integrated and analyzed to explore the expression, structure, function, mutation, and phylogenetic characteristics of E2Fs. The results showed that E2F1 and E2F7 were regularly upregulated in the tumor samples. Moreover, E2Fs participated in the regulation of the cell cycle, cell aging, and other signaling pathways. As an important regulator, E2F1 interacted with more proteins than other E2Fs. At the same time, the genetic mutation types of E2Fs varied in tumor type and patient sex, of which gene amplification accounts for the largest proportion. Phylogenetic analysis showed that E2Fs were conserved in 41 species, including fruit flies, nematodes, and humans. Meanwhile, E2Fs had a tendency for gene expansion during evolution. In conclusion, this study clarified the expression pattern, mutation characteristics, and evolutionary trend of E2Fs in high-incidence tumors in China, and suggested that E2F family transcription factors could be novel diagnostic markers for tumor diseases. Furthermore, this work can provide a theoretical basis for the development of anti-tumor-targeted drugs.

Key words: E2F1, E2F7, gene family