Expression and prognosis analysis of GINS subunits in human breast cancer

GINS subunits, a protein complex composed of GINS1, GINS2, GINS3 and GINS4 in the human genome and the expression level of each GINS subunits plays an important role in different human cancers. As one of the most common malignancies after lung cancer in the world, precise biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment in breast cancer are important. The purpose of our study was to elucidate the expression and prognostic value of GINS subunits in breast cancer. The purpose of present study was to explore the expression level of GINS subunits in breast cancer patients. In the present study, we investigated the gene alteration, gene expression and potential prognostic value of GINS subunits by using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), UALCAN, cBioPortal, and bc-GenExMiner databases. Then, the GeneMANIA database was used to show the genes that associated with GINS subunits. Furthermore, gene ontology pathway analysis was conducted by using the Metascape database. Finally, immune infiltration analysis in GINS subunits were evaluated using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database. Our analyses demonstrated that the expression levels of different GINS subunits were different between breast cancer and normal breast tissues. The expression levels of GINS1, GINS2, and GINS4 were significantly higher in breast cancer tissues than in normal tissues. Survival analysis revealed that increased the expression levels of GINS subunits were associated with poor prognoses in all patients with breast cancer. Gene ontology pathway enrichment analysis of the GINS subunits suggested that GINS subunits involved in pathways including the cell cycle checkpoint, DNA replication and other meaningful signaling pathways. We systemically analyzed the expression, prognostic, clinicopathologic values, and potential functional networks of GINS subunits in breast cancer. Our findings showed that individual GINS subunits could be new potential prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer. However, further verification studies are still needed to prove the clinical value of GINS subunits in breast cancer patients.