Wscd2, short for WSC domain-containing 2, is a gene whose exact function is still being elucidated. It has been implicated in multiple biological processes and disease-related pathways. Some studies suggest its potential role in glucose metabolism as it was associated with insulin sensitivity in Mexican-origin Americans [3].

In glioma, WSCD2 mRNA expression in glioma tissues was lower than that in benign brain disease tissues, and high WSCD2 mRNA expression was associated with a favorable outcome. It was also correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TILs) at the mRNA level, though not at the protein level, and was identified as an independent prognostic factor, suggesting it could be a potential immunotherapy target [1].

In breast cancer, an interaction between a nuSNP in an intron of WSCD2 and a mtSNP was associated with increased nuclei size, and low WSCD2 gene expression coupled with large nuclei was related to an increased risk of mortality in female breast cancer patients, indicating a possible inherent susceptibility to a more severe form of breast cancer [2].

In conclusion, Wscd2 appears to be involved in glioma prognosis and potentially immunotherapy, as well as breast cancer pathology. These findings from human-based research highlight its importance in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases and may provide new directions for potential therapeutic strategies.

References:

1. Abudusalam, Kaderya, Xu, Yan, Keyumu, Pazilat, Musha, Kadierjiang, Huang, Jianfei. 2024. WSCD2 Expression: Its Relevance to Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cells and Glioma Prognosis. In Current medicinal chemistry, , . doi:10.2174/0109298673282921240220101914. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38415455/

2. Bushel, Pierre R, Ward, James, Burkholder, Adam, Li, Jianying, Anchang, Benedict. 2022. Mitochondrial-nuclear epistasis underlying phenotypic variation in breast cancer pathology. In Scientific reports, 12, 1393. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05148-4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35082309/

3. Gao, Chuan, Hsu, Fang-Chi, Dimitrov, Latchezar M, Bowden, Donald W, Palmer, Nicholette D. 2017. A genome-wide linkage and association analysis of imputed insertions and deletions with cardiometabolic phenotypes in Mexican Americans: The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Family Study. In Genetic epidemiology, 41, 353-362. doi:10.1002/gepi.22042. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28378447/