α5-nAChR and survivin: Two potential biological targets in lung adenocarcinoma

Recent studies have shown that the overexpression of alpha 5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 5-nAChR) is associated with nicotine-related lung carcinogenesis. Survivin is one of the biomarkers of a worse prognosis for smoking-related lung cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of alpha 5-nAChR, survivin, and clinical outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We analyzed the expression level and correlation of CHRNA5 (encoding alpha 5-nAChR) and BIRC5 (encoding survivin) in LUAD with The Cancer Genome Atlas data set. The relationship between overall survival (OS) and the expression of CHRNA5 or/and BIRC5 was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Moreover, our results showed that the expression of alpha 5-nAChR mediated survivin expression in lung cancer cells and in lung tumor xenografts. Relationships between the expression of alpha 5-nAChR and/or survivin with clinical-pathological characteristics were analyzed using LUAD tissue samples. The results showed that expression of alpha 5-nAChR was correlated with survivin expression in vitro and in vivo. The group coexpressing alpha 5-nAChR and survivin had a worse prognosis than other subgroups in LUAD (p < .05). In conclusion, ascertaining the expression of both alpha 5-nAChR and survivin provides a better measure of prognosis for LUAD patients. The combined inhibition of alpha 5-nAChR and survivin may be a promising multitargeted gene therapeutic strategy in LUAD diagnosis.

Automated summary

Recent studies have shown that the overexpression of alpha 5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 5-nAChR) and survivin in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is associated with worse clinical outcomes. Coexpression of alpha 5-nAChR and survivin in LUAD patients is indicative of a poorer prognosis. Targeting both alpha 5-nAChR and survivin may present a promising therapeutic strategy for the diagnosis of LUAD.