Increased Expression of Integrin Subunit α3 is Correlated with Worse Recurrence-Free Survival in Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the potential effect of integrin subunit α3 (ITGA3) on thyroid cancer (THCA). Materials and Methods: Based on bioinformatics databases, the expression levels of ITGA3 were firstly analyzed, followed by evaluating the prognostic significance of ITGA3 in THCA patients. Cox regression analysis predicted the independent prognostic factors for THCA. Then, cBioportal and GSCA databases were applied to evaluate genetic alterations of ITGA3. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted using the R package. Finally, the upstream microRNAs of ITGA3 were determined. Results: ITGA3 gene and protein levels were higher in the THCA group than normal group (all P <0.05). And ITGA3 mRNA expression was significantly related to cancer stage and histological subtype (all P <0.01). Moreover, high expression of ITGA3 was associated with poor recurrence-free survival (RFS) of THCA patients in all subgroups (all P <0.01). Cox regression analysis presented that ITGA3 overexpression was an independent prognostic factor for worse RFS in THCA patients. Besides, significant relations were observed between ITGA3 and genetic alterations (FDR <0.01). Functional enrichment analysis indicated ECM-receptor interaction, and cell adhesion molecules were the shared regulatory pathways. We also found that ITGA3 might be the target gene of hsa-miR-3129, hsa-miR-181d, hsa-miR-181b, hsa-miR-199a, and hsa-miR-199b, which were all correlated with THCA patient prognosis. Conclusions: ITGA3 could be a reliable biomarker and promising therapeutic target for improving the diagnosis and clinical outcomes of THCA patients.