CHEK1 在胃癌进展中的作用及其机制研究:细胞周期与免疫微环境的双重调控

Role and Mechanisms of CHEK1 in Gastric Cancer Progression: Dual Regulation of the Cell Cycle and the Immune Microenvironment

  • 摘要: 背景 胃癌是全球高发且预后不良的恶性肿瘤,亟需新型分子标志物和治疗靶点。CHEK1 作为细胞周期调控关键基因,其在胃癌中的作用尚未完全阐明。目的 系统解析CHEK1 在胃癌中的表达特征、预后价值及其通过细胞周期与免疫微环境调控促进肿瘤进展的机制。方法 基于TCGA与GEO转录组数据开展泛癌及STAD肿瘤-正常差异表达分析;采用Kaplan–Meier 生存曲线评估CHEK1 表达与生存预后的关系;基于ssGSEA计算24 类免疫细胞浸润得分分析CHEK1 表达与不同类型免疫细胞浸润水平的相关性;在TCGA-STAD队列构建CHEK1 共表达网络并进行GO/KEGG功能富集分析;体外在AGS细胞中构建CHEK1 敲低与过表达模型,分别通过CCK-8 检测增殖活力、流式细胞术检测凋亡,并以蛋白质印迹法检测凋亡相关蛋白变化,用于功能与机制验证。结果 CHEK1 在胃腺癌(Stomach Adenocarcinoma,STAD)等12 种肿瘤中高表达(P<0.05),胃癌肿瘤组织较配对癌旁组织明显升高,且高表达与患者较好预后相关(P<0.05)。共表达与功能富集分析提示,CHEK1 相关基因富集于细胞周期等通路,并与多种DNA损伤修复相关基因表达呈明显相关性(P<0.05)。免疫浸润分析表明,CHEK1 高表达与Th2 细胞浸润得分正相关(R=0.567,P<0.001),与CD8⁺ T细胞(R=-0.214,P<0.001)和树突细胞(R=-0.192,P<0.01)浸润得分负相关。体外敲低CHEK1 可抑制AGS细胞增殖(CCK-8 OD值降低42%,P<0.01),提高凋亡率(39.28% vs 7.86%,P<0.001)并上调γH2AX 表达(P<0.05);而CHEK1 过表达可降低cleaved PARP 和caspase-3 水平(P<0.001),抑制细胞凋亡。结论 CHEK1 在胃癌中通过“细胞周期调控–免疫微环境重塑”双重机制促进肿瘤进展,其高表达提示预后相对较好。

     

    Abstract: Background Gastric cancer is a common malignancy worldwide with poor prognosis, and there is an urgent need for novel molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Checkpoint kinase 1(CHEK1), a key regulator of the cell cycle, has not been fully characterized in gastric cancer. Objective To systematically characterize the expression pattern, prognostic value, and mechanistic role of CHEK1 in gastric cancer, with a focus on cell-cycle regulation and remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment. Methods Pan-cancer and paired STAD tumor – normal analyses using TCGA and GEO datasets were performed to evaluate CHEK1 expression and its associations with overall survival and immune cell infiltration. SsGSEA was applied to calculate infiltration scores of 24 immune cell types and to analyze the correlations between CHEK1 expression and the infiltration levels of different immune cell subsets. Co-expression network construction and functional enrichment analyses were conducted to identify CHEK1-related signaling pathways. In vitro, CHEK1 knockdown and overexpression models were established in AGS cells. Cell proliferative activity was assessed by CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry, and apoptosisrelated proteins alterations were examined by western blotting, thereby providing functional and mechanistic validation. Results CHEK1 was overexpressed in stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) and 11 other cancer types (P<0.05). In STAD, CHEK1 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues than in paired adjacent normal tissues, and high CHEK1 expression was associated with a more favorable prognosis (P<0.05). Co-expression and functional enrichment analyses indicated that CHEK1-associated genes were enriched in cell cycle–related pathways and were significantly correlated with multiple DNA damage repair–related genes (P <0.05). Immune infiltration analysis showed that CHEK1 expression was positively correlated with the Th2 cell infiltration score (R =0.567, P<0.001) and negatively correlated with the infiltration scores of CD8⁺ T cells (R=−0.214, P<0.001) and dendritic cells (R =−0.192, P<0.01). In vitro, CHEK1 knockdown inhibited AGS cell proliferation (CCK-8 OD reduced by 42%, P<0.01), increased apoptosis (39.28% vs 7.86%, P<0.001), and upregulated γH2AX (P<0.05), whereas CHEK1 overexpression decreased cleaved PARP and caspase-3 levels (P<0.001), thereby suppressing apoptosis. Conclusion CHEK1 promotes gastric cancer progression through a dual mechanism involving cell-cycle dysregulation and remodeling of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. High CHEK1 expression predicts better prognosis and supports CHEK1 as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target, particularly in the context of combination strategies with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

     

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