CXCL10 is a potential biomarker and associated with immune infiltration in human papillary thyroid cancer

Background: In recent years, the annual incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has increased, with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) identified as the most common win word pathological type accounting for approximately 80% of all thyroid cancer cases. The tumor microenvironment is known to play a vital role in tumor information transmission and immune detection. Methods: In the present study, we examined gene expression data from 518 patients with PTC. The ESTIMATE algorithm was used to calculate immune and stromal scores of PTC patients. Based on a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, functional enrichment and overall survival analyses, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) was identified as a core gene. We further investigated the roles of core genes of PTC in the tumor immune microenvironment using LinkedOmics, GSEA, and TIMER tools. Results: Immune, stromal and ESTIMATE scores were related to clinicopathological variables of patients with PTC, but not survival outcomes. Eight differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with survival outcome. In addition, immunochemical staining experiments revealed lower expression of CXCL10 in PTC than paracancerous tissues. GSEA pathway enrichment analysis revealed downregulation of CXCL10 in multiple cancer pathways. CXCL10 and related genes were enriched in pathways related to adaptive immune response, cellular defense response and regulation of innate immune response. Conclusion: The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in development of PTC and CXCL10 may serve as a novel target of precision therapy for this patient population.

Automated summary

Recent studies have shown that immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores are associated with clinicopathological variables in patients with papillary thyroid cancer, but not survival outcomes. The cytokine CXCL10 may serve as a core gene in the tumor immune microenvironment of papillary thyroid cancer and could be a potential target for precision therapy.