High KDM1A Expression Associated with Decreased CD8+T Cells Reduces the Breast Cancer Survival Rate in Patients with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: Lysine-specific demethylase 1A (KDM1A) plays an important role in epigenetic regulation in malignant tumors and promotes cancer invasion and metastasis by blocking the immune response and suppressing cancer surveillance activities. The aim of this study was to analyze survival, genetic interaction networks and anticancer immune responses in breast cancer patients with high KDM1A expression and to explore candidate target drugs.

Methods: We investigated clinicopathologic parameters, specific gene sets, immunologic relevance, pathway-based networks and in vitro drug response according to KDM1A expression in 456 and 789 breast cancer patients from the Hanyang university Guri Hospital (HYGH) and The Cancer Genome Atlas, respectively.

Results: High KDM1A expression was associated with a low survival rate in patients with breast cancer. In analyses of immunologic gene sets, high KDM1A expression correlated with low immune responses. In silico flow cytometry results revealed low abundances of CD8+T cells and high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in those with high KDM1A expression. High KDM1A expression was associated with a decrease in the anticancer immune response in breast cancer. In pathway-based networks, KDM1A was linked directly to pathways related to the androgen receptor signaling pathway and indirectly to the immune pathway and cell cycle. We found that alisertib effectively inhibited breast cancer cell lines with high KDM1A expression.

Conclusions: Strategies utilizing KDM1A may contribute to better clinical management/research for patients with breast cancer.