The DNA damage repair-related gene PKMYT1 is a potential biomarker in various malignancies

BACKGROUND: Protein kinase membrane associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1) regulates cell cycle and is a part of DNA damage repair (DDR)-related signaling. Recent studies have identified a role for PKMYT1 in tumor immunity and DDR. Thus, we initiated this study aiming to characterize the molecular and immunological portrait of PKMYT1 in cancer. METHODS: Transcriptomic data extrapolated from Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) datasets were used to determine the mRNA expression levels of PKMYT1. PKMYT1 mRNA expression status was correlated with patients’ prognosis as well as immune neoantigens, and immune checkpoints in 34 different tumors. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) dataset was used to analyze immune infiltrating scores. RESULTS: PKMYT1 mRNA is differentially expressed in common tumors and high expression levels of PKMYT1 mRNA is associated with poor prognosis except for malignant thymoma (THYM). In addition, PKMYT1 mRNA expression was correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells particularly in lung squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal carcinoma, THYM, and lung adenocarcinoma. An upregulation of immune checkpoints and neoantigens was observed in tumors with a high PKMYT1 mRNA expression. Data from gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that PKMYT1 is involved in tumor immunogenicity, metabolism, and cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: PKMYT1 is differentially expressed in various cancers and exerts an important effect on tumor immunity and progression. The PKMYT1 gene holds the potential as a new potential biomarker. Therefore, further studies are clearly needed to elaborate our findings.