DCK is a promising prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yining Wang
Xiaoying Wang
Danjun Song
Jian Zhou
Jia Fan
Kai Zhu
Lingyu Tian
Qiang Gao
Journal: World Journal of Surgical Oncology (2020)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Deoxycytidine kinase; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Immune infiltration; Poor prognosis.
Affiliations: Department of Liver Surgery, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China., Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China., Department of Liver Surgery, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of Ministry of Education, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China. .

Abstract:  Background: Deoxycytidine kinase (DCK), an enzyme in the nucleoside biosynthetic pathway, can affect the development of immune cells. However, the relationships between the expression of DCK, patient prognosis, and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still unclear. Methods: The expression of DCK in HCC was analyzed through the Oncomine and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases. The impact of DCK on clinical prognosis was investigated via the Kaplan-Meier plotter and verified in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases. The interrelationships between DCK expression and TIICs in HCC were analyzed by the TIMER database. Additionally, the relationship between DCK expression and immune cell gene markers was calculated through TIMER and GEPIA databases. Results: Compared with the adjacent normal tissues, high expression of DCK was observed in HCC tissues. Also, the higher expression of DCK was correlated to poorer prognosis in HCC patients, and it was associated with decreased survival in those with early stage and grade. Moreover, DCK expression was positively correlated with TIICs, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, B cells, monocytes, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), M1 and M2 macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. Specifically, DCK expression levels were significantly associated with diverse immune gene marker sets, including those of Tregs and exhausted T cells. Conclusion: These findings suggest that DCK expression is correlated with patient outcomes and tumor infiltration cell levels in HCC patients. Additionally, the increased level of DCK was associated with marker genes of Tregs and exhaustion-related inhibitory receptors, suggesting the potential role of DCK in immunosuppression and immune escape. These findings suggest that DCK can function as a potential novel prognostic biomarker and reflect the immune infiltration status in HCC patients. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Fig 2G.  The apoptosis ability of cells transfected with miR-135a-mimics was significantly enhanced, and the corresponding flow chart was shown.  Fig 3G.  The apoptosis ability of cells transfected with si-ROCK1 was significantly enhanced, and the corresponding flow chart was shown.  Each panel contains a halo of regularly-spaced dots, surrounding a central clump with a curious texture, almost woven in appearance (also visible in [Qu et al 2020] ). Perhaps these are instrumentation artefacts of some kind. Is it possible for the authors to upload the raw data files to a data repository somewhere? , 
 Retracted, [22 September 2021] . --------------------- This article is being retracted from Bioscience Reports at the request of the authors following receipt of a notification from a reader, alerting the Editorial Office to unusual data presented in Figures 2 and 3. The Editorial Office requested the raw data from the authors and this has not been provided. The authors wish to retract the article. The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board agree with the Retraction. ,