Key result
High NRP1 expression was associated with worse prognosis in multiple cancers and positively correlated with oncogenic cell infiltration, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target.
Why the study?
TMPRSS2 and Neuropilin-1 facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection and represent potential targets, but information is needed for treating the comorbidity of COVID-19 with lung cancer.
Lung NRP1/TMPRSS2 expression data may inform COVID-19 and lung cancer comorbidity care; leaves open targeted therapies pending validation.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and is highly contagious and pathogenic. TMPRSS2 and Neuropilin-1, the key components that facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection, are potential targets for treatment of COVID-19. Here we performed a comprehensive analysis on NRP1 and TMPRSS2 in lung to provide information for treating comorbidity of COVID-19 with lung cancer. NRP1 is widely expressed across all the human tissues while TMPRSS2 is expressed in a restricted pattern. High level of NRP1 associates with worse prognosis in multiple cancers, while high level of TMPRSS2 is associated with better survival of Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Moreover, NRP1 positively correlates with the oncogenic Cancer Associated Fibroblast (CAF), macrophage and endothelial cells infiltration, negatively correlates with infiltration of CD8+ T cell, the tumor killer cell in Lung Squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). TMPRSS2 shows negative correlation with the oncogenic events in LUAD. RNA-seq data show that NRP1 level is slightly decreased in peripheral blood of ICU admitted COVID-19 patients, unaltered in lung, while TMPRSS2 level is significantly decreased in lung of COVID-19 patients. Our analysis suggests NRP1 as a potential therapeutic target, while sets an alert on targeting TMPRSS2 for treating comorbidity of COVID-19 and lung cancers.
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Hu et al. (2021) studied COVID-19 and lung cancer comorbidity. NRP1 and TMPRSS2 expression was evaluated on Prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and expression levels. High NRP1 expression was associated with worse prognosis in multiple cancers and positively correlated with oncogenic cell infiltration, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target.
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