A comprehensive analysis of CEBPA on prognosis and function in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma

Abstract Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) is one of the most common tumours of the female reproductive system. CCAAT enhancer-binding protein alpha (CEBPA) is a member of the transcription factor family involved in regulating processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and the immune response. However, the role of CEBPA in UCEC has not been clarified. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis to explore the expression level, prognostic value, immune infiltration and biological function of CEBPA in UCEC. In this study, we found that CEBPA expression was upregulated and associated with poor prognosis in UCEC patients. KEGG and GO analyses revealed that the genes positively correlated with CEBPA were enriched primarily in immune regulation and oxidative phosphorylation. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that CEBPA is strongly correlated with immune cell infiltration in UCEC. RT-qPCR indicated that CEBPA may regulate the OXPHOS level in Ishikawa cells. CCK-8, cell cycle, Transwell and scratch wound healing assays revealed that CEBPA promoted Ishikawa cell proliferation, invasion and migration. In addition, PPI and survival analyses suggested that CEBPG may be a potential target of CEBPA in UCEC. These results demonstrated that CEBPA may be a potential therapeutic target in UCEC.