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Overexpression of NIMA-related kinase 2 is associated with poor prognoses in malignant glioma

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Abstract

Eleated expression of NIMA-related kinase 2 (NEK2) was frequently observed in a variety of malignant cancers, and it appears to be involved in the initiation, maintenance, progression, metastasis of cancer and is positively associated with poor prognosis. We sought to investigate NEK2 expression and its predictive roles in malignant gliomas, and study the correlation of NEK2 protein expression with proliferation, clinical parameters, overall survival and some other parameters. We investigate NEK2 protein expression in 99 samples of malignant gliomas, including 35 WHO grade II, 22 grade III, and 42 grade IV gliomas, by immunohistochemistry and western blot (n = 50). We then made correlative analysis of protein overexpression using the Kaplan–Meier method, Log rank test, and Cox proportional-hazards model analysis. NEK2 protein was overexpressed in malignant gliomas, but not in normal brain tissues. Overexpression of NEK2 correlated with malignancy, proliferation and adverse overall survival in gliomas. Moreover, chemotherapy, resection extent and WHO grade also correlate with overall survival in gliomas. However, within WHO grade II glioma subgroup, NEK2 overexpression showed no impact on overall survival. The present study firstly reveals that NEK2 protein is widely overexpressed in gliomas. NEK2 overexpression correlates significantly with malignancy (WHO grades), proliferation (Ki-67) and prognosis in malignant gliomas. NEK2 is a potential gene therapy target and prognostic indicator.

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Abbreviations

NIMA:

Never in mitosis

NEK2:

NIMA-related kinase 2

CNS:

Central nervous system

WHO:

World Health Organization

TIS:

Total immunostaining score

PS:

Proportion score

IS:

Intensity score

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Acknowledgements

All authors have contributed to, read and approved the final manuscript for submission. The authors thank the patients who contributed to this study. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81171062), Science and Technology Department of Shandong Province (Grant Nos. 2014GGB14257, 2014GGB14439, 2014ZRB14238, and 2014ZRB14296).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, 324 Jingwuweiqi Street, Jinan, 250021, People’s Republic of China

      Huajie Liu, Rui Zhang, Tao Xin, Hua Guo, Shangchen Xu & Qi Pang

    2. Department of Bone Trauma and Neurosurgery, Qilu Children’s Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250011, People’s Republic of China

      Huajie Liu

    3. Department of Neurosurgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

      Bin Liu

    4. Department of Neurosurgery, Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250014, China

      Bin Liu & Xianzeng Hou

    5. Department of Neurosurgery, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, 250012, China

      Bo Pang

    6. Department of Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan, 250012, China

      Pengbo Guo

    7. Department of Medical Imaging, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250011, People’s Republic of China

      Wanli Jiang

    8. Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China

      Qian Ding

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    1. Huajie Liu
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    Bin Liu and Huajie Liu have equally contributed to this work.

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    Liu, H., Liu, B., Hou, X. et al. Overexpression of NIMA-related kinase 2 is associated with poor prognoses in malignant glioma. J Neurooncol 132, 409–417 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-017-2401-4

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