Serine Incorporator 2 (SERINC2) is a transmembrane
protein that incorporates
serine into
membrane lipids. The function of SERINC2 in
tumors has been reported, but the role of SERINC2 in
gliomas is not fully understood.
RNA-sequencing data from The
Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (530 cases of low-grade
glioma (LGG) and 173 cases of
glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)) and microarray data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (Accession No. GSE16011, 284 cases
gliomas were included) were acquired. Bioinformatics analysis was performed as the primary method to examine the function of SERINC2 and its correlated genes in
glioma. SERINC2 was highly expressed in GBM compared with LGG and normal brain tissues. Elevated SERINC2 expression predicted shorter 5-, 10-, and 15-year overall survival (OS) of LGG patients and
isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH-1) mutation-type LGG patients but had no effect on the OS of GBM patients. Cox regression analysis showed that SERINC2 was an independent factor in LGG OS. Methylation analysis found that 13 CpG methylation sites (methylation450k) correlated with SERINC2 expression in LGG. The
mRNA expression level of SERINC2 was significant lower in the
DNA deletion group than in the intact and amplification groups. A total of 390 copositive and 244 conegative correlation genes with SERINC2 were obtained from LGG in TCGA-LGG and GSE16011. Gene ontology (GO) category and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed that the copositive correlation genes were primarily enriched in the mitotic process and cell cycle. Combining the results from the
protein-
protein interaction (PPI) network of SERINC2 correlation genes and CytoHubba led to the selection of 10 hub genes (CDC20, FN1, AURKB,
AURKA, KIF2C, BIRC5, CCNB2, UBE2C, CCNA2, and CENPE). OncoLnc analysis confirmed that high expression levels of these hub genes were associated with poor OS in LGG. Our results suggested that aberrant SERINC2 expression existed in
glioma and that its expression might be a potential prognostic marker in LGG patients. CDC20, FN1, AURKB,
AURKA, KIF2C, BIRC5, CCNB2, UBE2C, CCNA2, and CENPE may be potential
biomarkers and therapeutic targets for LGG.