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Leo I. Gordon, MD, FACP
Leo I. Gordon, MD, FACP
Posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2022
The Ras-associated binding (RAB) protein RAB39B may be a possible biomarker to assist with the diagnosis and treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), according to research findings published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology. Elevated levels of RAB39B have been associated with poor overall survival in this patient population, likely because of its role in immune infiltration, suggested Yunfeng Fu, MD, of The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, China, and colleagues.
Data on RAB39B expression were collected from the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, the University of California Santa Cruz, and the Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Genes and signaling pathways related to the expression of RAB39B were analyzed using the LinkedOmics database. Furthermore, The Cancer Genome Atlas was employed to assess the potential correlation between RAB39B and m6A-related genes in DLBCL.
The study findings revealed an increased expression of RAB39B in multiple tumors including DLBCL. Additionally, RAB39B was identified to play a critical role in numerous cellular processes, including JAK-STAT signaling, protein synthesis, DNA replication, autophagy, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and NF-kappa B signaling. RAB39B was found to be negatively correlated with T-effector memory cells, CD8 T-cell infiltration, and immature dendritic cells, using the immune infiltrate analysis. Furthermore, the study authors identified an association between RAB39B and 14 m6A modifier genes: ALKBH5, FTO, METTL3, METTL14, RBM15, RBM15B, RBMX, VIRMA, YTHDC1, YTHDC2, YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHDF3, and ZC3H13. Moreover, a decreased sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs including cytarabine, doxorubicin, etoposide, dexamethasone, and vincristine seemed to be associated with RAB39B expression.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
