The Potential Effect of the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Receptor of 2019-nCoV in Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients on Age

Abstract BackgroundThe 2019-nCoV epidemic is the public health emergency that has had the greatest impact on the world. Our study aimed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and function of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of 2019-nCoV on lung adenocarcinoma patients (LUAD), and provide a theoretical basis for early diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy of 2019-nCoV.MethodsThis study focuses on the expression level, functions, mutation rate, and copy number variations (CNVs) of ACE2 in LUAD using an extensive bioinformatics data mining process. The interaction between ACE2 expression and clinical-pathological parameters of patients with LUAD was investigated using UALCAN. Also, the essential biological features, single nucleotide variations (SNVs), CNVs, and pathway activities of genes interacting with ACE2 in these cancers were further analyzed.ResultsWe found that ACE2 expression in LUAD patients increased with age, but it was not related to cancer status, patient’s race, patient’s gender, or patient’s smoking habits. Moreover, our results showed that compared to that in normal tissues, ACE2 was highly expressed in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), rectum adenocarcinoma (READ), and stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). However, there is no significant difference in the expression of ACE2 in patients of different ages.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate the importance of ACE2 in LUAD, and provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms and function of ACE2.