This research aimed to investigate mutations in several cancer-associated genes across three different cell lines: A549, NCI-H23, and NCI-H460. The primary objective was to assess how these mutations could impact protein function and stability, which is crucial for understanding cancer mechanisms and potential therapies.
PolyPhen Results:The PolyPhen analysis provided predictions on the functional impact of amino acid changes in the proteins. For instance, the mutation p.R477I in HSP90AA1 received a HumDiv score of 1, indicating it is "Probably damaging." This suggests that this mutation may significantly impair the protein's function, potentially contributing to cancer progression.
The mutation p.T290A in TBL1XR1 scored 0.125, predicting it to be "Benign." This indicates that this mutation is unlikely to have a significant effect on the protein's function, which suggests it may not play a role in disease development.
In the case of ZFHX3, the mutation p.L1473F scored 0.985 for HumDiv, also suggesting a probably damaging effect. This finding raises concerns regarding the potential role of this mutation in cancer. Conversely, the mutation p.G101W in DDR2 scored 1, indicating it is "Probably damaging." This suggests that DDR2 mutations could lead to functional disruptions, contributing to tumorigenesis.
LIFR showed a mutation p.L493F that received a HumDiv score of 0, indicating a benign prediction. This suggests that this specific alteration is unlikely to significantly impact the protein's function. On the other hand, the mutation p.D764E in MYH11 received a HumVar score of 0.653, indicating it is "Possibly damaging," suggesting a potential impact on function.
Mutation Master Results:The Mutation Master analysis categorized mutations based on their predicted pathogenicity. Mutations in HSP90AA1 and TBL1XR1 were both labeled as "Disease-causing," implying a strong link to cancer. The mutation in ZFHX3, although not yielding results due to a missing transcript, is significant because findings from other programs indicated potential implications for protein function and stability. Similarly, DDR2 mutations were classified as "Disease-causing," indicating a possible role in cancer progression.
DynaMut Results:The DynaMut analysis provided essential data on how mutations could affect protein stability and flexibility. For HSP90AA1, a ΔΔG value of 0.432 kcal/mol was observed, suggesting that this mutation may stabilize the protein. This finding is interesting because a stable protein can often maintain its function, suggesting that this particular mutation might not be as harmful as predicted by PolyPhen.
In contrast, TBL1XR1 exhibited a notably destabilizing ΔΔG value of -0.786 kcal/mol, indicating that this mutation could significantly affect the protein's stability and potentially lead to dysfunctional interactions that promote cancer development. ZFHX3 showed a ΔΔG of -0.086 kcal/mol, indicating a destabilizing effect, which could lead to loss of function or abnormal protein behavior.
For DDR2, a ΔΔG of 0.483 kcal/mol suggests potential stability; however, the damaging prediction highlights the complexity of its role in cancer. LIFR displayed a ΔΔG of 0.133 kcal/mol, suggesting slight stabilization, while the mutation p.D764E in MYH11 showed a ΔΔG of 0.655 kcal/mol, which may indicate stability but could also suggest a functional impairment based on other analyses.
The analysis also assessed the ΔΔSVib values, which provide insight into changes in molecular flexibility due to mutations. For HSP90AA1, a decrease of -0.154 kcal/mol.K was noted, indicating that the mutation may lead to a more rigid protein structure. Conversely, TBL1XR1 demonstrated an increase of 0.451 kcal/mol.K, suggesting enhanced flexibility that might alter its function and interactions with other molecules.
All the superposed images from the Swiss Model analysis displayed a full green structure, suggesting that the overall shape of the proteins remained stable despite the mutations. However, the predicted damaging effects from PolyPhen and Mutation Master indicate that the mutations could still have serious implications for protein function.
In summary, the findings highlight that mutations in HSP90AA1, TBL1XR1, and DDR2 are likely to have damaging effects that could contribute to cancer progression. The mutations in ZFHX3 and MYH11 also warrant attention, with potential impacts on protein function that could influence cancer mechanisms. Although LIFR and some other mutations were predicted to be benign, the overall analysis provides valuable insights into how specific mutations can affect cancer-related proteins, which could be important for developing targeted therapies in the future.