Expression and Clinical Value of Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factor 1A1 (EEF1A1) in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

BACKGROUND: The eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A1 (EEF1A1) participates in protein translation and has been reported to be involved in tumor progression such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy in adults. In the present study, we aimed to detect the expression of EEF1A1 in DLBCL and to analyze its relationship with prognosis. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of DLBCL patients in our hospital and evaluated their expression level of EEF1A1 in tumor tissues using immunohistochemical (IHC) assay. The Chi-square method was used for correlation analysis. The Kaplan–Meier method with Log rank test was used for univariate analysis. Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. Cellular and mice models were introduced to validate its oncogenic role. RESULTS: EEF1A1 expression in tumor cells was higher in certain DLBCL cases. Patients with higher EEF1A1 expression were more likely to have advanced tumor stage and poorer 5-year overall survival (OS) rates. EEF1A1 expression in tumor cells was an independent risk predictor for OS (P < 0.05). Cellular assays demonstrated that EEF1A1-shRNA significantly inhibited lymphoma cell proliferation. The study of xenografts further verified the effect of EEF1A1-shRNA on suppressing tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: EEF1A1 positivity predicts short survival in DLBCL patients. For patients with higher EEF1A1 expression, more strategy such as anti-EEF1A1 antibody treatment should be developed.