Exploring the Effects of Cancer-Associated Mutations in Selected Cell Lines Using Online Computational Tools

This research aimed to investigate the mutations in selected cancer-related genes across three different cell lines: A549, NCI-H23, and NCI-H460. The genes of interest included HSP90AA1, TBL1XR1, ZFHX3, DDR2, LIFR, and MYH11, with a focus on their mutation profiles and potential impacts on cancer development. Various online programs, including PolyPhen-2, Mutation Master, and DynaMut, were employed to analyze the functional effects of mutations on the proteins encoded by these genes. Results indicated that HSP90AA1 and DDR2 had high Mutation Master scores, suggesting a strong association with disease. PolyPhen results showed that HSP90AA1 and ZFHX3 mutations were predicted to be probably damaging, while TBL1XR1 was classified as benign. The DynaMut analysis revealed significant changes in flexibility and stability for most mutations, particularly highlighting the destabilizing effects of TBL1XR1 and ZFHX3. The Swiss-Model results showed full green structures upon superposition of wild-type and mutant proteins, indicating minimal structural differences. However, the absence of results for ZFHX3 in Mutation Master due to missing transcript data emphasizes the challenges faced in mutation research. The findings provide insights into the mutation landscape of these genes, suggesting potential avenues for further investigation in cancer research.