Prognostic and clinicopathological insights of phosphodiesterase 9A gene as novel biomarker in human colorectal cancer

Background PDE9A (Phosphodiesterase 9A) plays an important role in proliferation of cells, their differentiation and apoptosis via intracellular cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) signaling. The expression pattern of PDE9A is associated with diverse tumors and carcinomas. Therefore, PDE9A could be a prospective candidate as a therapeutic target in different types of carcinoma. The study presented here was designed to carry out the prognostic value as a biomarker of PDE9A in Colorectal cancer (CRC). The present study integrated several cancer databases with in-silico techniques to evaluate the cancer prognosis of CRC. Results The analyses suggested that the expression of PDE9A was significantly down-regulated in CRC tissues than in normal tissues. Moreover, methylation in the DNA promoter region might also manipulate PDE9A gene expression. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that high level of expression of PDE9A gene was associated to higher survival in OS, RFS, and DSS in CRC patients. PDE9A demonstrated the highest positive correlation for rectal cancer recurrence with a marker gene CEACAM7. Furtheremore, PDE9A shared consolidated pathways with MAPK14 to induce survival autophagy in CRC cells and showed interaction with GUCY1A2 to drive CRPC. Conclusions Overall, the prognostic value of PDE9A gene could be used as a potential tumor biomarker for CRC.

Automated summary

The study found that PDE9A was significantly down-regulated in CRC tissues compared to normal tissues, and methylation in the DNA promoter region could also affect PDE9A gene expression. High expression of PDE9A gene was associated with higher survival rates in CRC patients. PDE9A showed strong correlation with rectal cancer recurrence and had interactions with other genes to drive survival pathways in CRC cells. Overall, PDE9A could serve as a potential tumor biomarker for CRC.