Integrated analysis of 14 lymphoma datasets revealed high expression of CXCL14 promotes cell migration in mantle cell lymphoma

Abstract Background Lymphoma is accompanied by multiple immune functions impairment. Cytokines play an important role in a variety of immune-related functions and affect the tumor microenvironment. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms between them remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the cytokines expression and function in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Results We performed a transcriptome integration analysis of 14 lymphoma datasets including 240 Hodgkin's lymphoma, 891 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 216 mantle cell lymphoma, and 64 health samples. The results showed that multiple immune function and signal pathway damage were shared by all the three types of lymphoma, and these functions were related to cytokines. Furthermore, through co-expression network and functional interaction network analysis, we identified CXCL14 as a key regulator and it affects cell chemotaxis and migration functions. Functional experiment showed that CXCL14 knockdown inhibited cell migration in MCL cell lines. Conclusions High expression of CXCL14 may aggravate MCL via promote cell migration. Our findings provide novel insights into the biology of MCL and would be helpful for the pathogenesis study and drug discovery of lymphomas.