Expression of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 9 is Positively Correlated with the Autophagy Level in Colon Cancer

Background: Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) expression and autophagy in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues has not been widely studied. CDK9, a key regulator of transcription, may influence the occurrence and progression of CRC. The expression of autophagy-related genes and drug resistance factor may also play a role in CRC. Under normal physiological conditions, autophagy can inhibit tumorigenesis, but once a tumor forms, autophagy may promote tumor growth. Therefore, understanding the relationship between autophagy and cancer, particularly how autophagy promotes tumor growth after its formation, is a key motivation for this research.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between CDK9 expression and autophagy in CRC, assess differences in autophagy between left and right colon cancer, and analyze the associations of autophagy-related genes with clinical features and prognosis.

Methods: We collected tumor tissues and paracarcinoma tissues from colon cancer patients with liver metastasis to observe the level of autophagy in tissues with high levels of CDK9 and low levels of CDK9. We also collected primary tissue from left and right colon cancer patients with liver metastasis to compare the autophagy levels and the expression of and in the tumor and paracarcinoma tissues.

Results: The incidence of autophagy and the expression of and were different in left and right colon cancer, and autophagy might be involved in the occurrence of chemotherapy resistance. Further analysis of the relationship between the expression of autophagy-related genes CDK9, , and and the clinical features and prognosis of colorectal cancer showed that the high expression of CDK9 indicated a poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Conclusion: This study laid the foundation for further research on the combination of CDK9 inhibitors and autophagy inhibitors in the treatment of patients with CRC.