BTN3A2 serves as a prognostic marker and favors immune infiltration in triple‐negative breast cancer
Authors: Xiong Qin
Li Zheng
Jianjun Wu
Zhi Zhang
Zhenhui Lu
Jinmin Zhao
Peian Cai
Zetao Wang
Journal: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry (2020)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: butyrophilin subfamily 3 member A2 (BTN3A2); immune infiltration; immune microenvironment; prognostic biomarker; triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
Affiliations: Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ RegenerationThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for BiomedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China, Department of Orthopaedics Trauma and Hand SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China, Department of Bone and Soft Tissue SurgeryThe Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University Nanning Guangxi China

Abstract:  Immune infiltration is reported to be highly associated with tumor progress. Since butyrophilin subfamily 3 member A2 (BTN3A2) serves as a crucial mediator in immune activation, we aimed to investigate the correlation of BTN3A2 in immune infiltration and tumor prognosis via extensive-cancer analysis. The levels of BTN3A2 expression in extensive cancers were analyzed with Oncomine and TIMER databases. Univariate cox and multivariate cox regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations of BTN3A2 to prognosis of various cancers. The correlations of BTN3A2 with immune infiltration were assessed by TIMER database. It suggested that BTN3A2 was a potential prognosis signature for breast cancer (BRCA) and ovarian cancer (OV). However, immune infiltrations were highly correlated with BTN3A2 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), compared with OV and other subtypes of BRCA. Multivariate cox regression analysis revealed that BTN3A2 was an independently prognostic signature of TNBC, as well as weighted correlation network analysis suggested BTN3A2 was only correlated with TNBC, rather than other subtypes of BRCA. Immune cell subtypes correlation analysis showed that BTN3A2 was highly correlated with general T, CD8+ T, T helper type 1, exhausted T cells, and dendritic cells in TNBC. And the coexpression geneset of BTN3A2 was mainly involved in T-cell receptor interaction and the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Collectively, BTN3A2 that was positively associated with better prognosis could be served as a special diagnostic and independently prognostic marker for TNBC by regulating the T-cell receptor interaction and NF-κB signaling pathways. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 In Figure 3, many data points in the lower part of the graphical illustration are identical in A and D. I am not sure if you should expect that. In Figure 4 (A and B), data has been duplicated and presented as something different. In the two other illustrations in Figure 4B, many data points are identical (examples marked in red). ![file] ![file] , 
 #1  In Figure 3, many data points in the lower part of the graphical illustration are identical in A and D. I am not sure if you should expect that. I think it makes sense here, because each scatterplot in row A shows **all** cases of BRCA, with subgroups of cases shown in scatterplots beneath it. That is to say, the scatterplots in row A are superimpositions of the scatterplots below. So every point in a plot in row D is also present in row A. This is complicated by the different vertical scales used in rows A, B, C, D. ,