Human EVI2B acts as a Janus-faced oncogene/antioncogene by differently affecting as per cancer type neoplastic cells growth and immune infiltration

Objectives: The EVI2B (Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 2B) gene encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein pivotal in immunocytes maturation. Recent evidence implicated EV12B’s expression with human colon cancer progression. However, EVI2B’s downstream pathways affecting tumor growth and tumor-infiltrating cells remain unclear. Methods: We first studied the diagnostic and prognostic value of EVI2B in pan-cancers by utilizing a series of in silico tools and clinical samples. Then we identified the modulated transcriptional expression and DNA methylation in high EVI2B’s expression groups of the same three cancers. We verified via RT-PCR the effect of stable EVI2B knock-down on the expression of JAK/STAT-related genes in two immune cell lines and the acceleration of proliferation in four cancer cell lines. Finally, the regulation of leukocyte infiltration was studied using TIMER. Results: In SKCM and LUAD a heightened EVI2B’s expression promoted a better prognosis. Conversely, in LGG EVI2B’s upregulation concurred with a worse prognosis. EVI2B silencing enhanced the proliferation of the tumor cell lines. The hypermethylated genome strengthened EVI2B’s Janus-like effect in high EVI2B expressing SKCM and LUAD tumors. While the total DNA methylation was lower in high EVI2B expressing LGG. Further analysis revealed that multiple EVI2B-involved down-stream JAK-STAT genes also exhibited the Janus-like feature in SKCM, LUAD and LGG progression. Correspondingly, anti-tumor leukocytes infiltrated EVI2B high expressing SKCM and LUAD while more pro-tumor ones penetrated into EVI2B heightened LGG. Conclusions: EVI2B acts as a Janus-faced oncogene/antioncogene by differently affecting neoplastic cell proliferation rates and tumor-promoting or tumor-hindering immunocytes’ infiltration.