POC1A, prognostic biomarker of immunosuppressive microenvironment in cancer

POC1 centriolar protein A (POC1A) effect in pan-cancer remains uncertain. The POC1A expression in normal and tumor tissues underwent analysis in this study utilizing data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. POC1A prognostic value and clinicopathological features were assessed utilizing the TCGA cohort. The relationship between immunological cell infiltration and POC1A of TCGA samples downloaded from TIMER2 and ImmuCellAI databases were observed. The relation between POC1A and immunological checkpoints genes, microsatellite instability (MSI) as well as tumor mutation burden (TMB) was also evaluated. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was utilized for exploring POC1A potential molecular mechanism in pan-cancer. In almost all 33 tumors, POCA1 showed a high expression. In most cases, high POC1A expression was linked significantly with a poor prognosis. Additionally, Tumor immune infiltration and tumors microenvironment were correlated with the expression of POC1A. In addition, TMB and MSI, as well as immune checkpoint genes in pan-cancer, were related to POC1A expression. In GSEA analysis, POC1A is implicated in cell cycle and immune-related pathways. These results might elucidate the crucial roles of POC1A in pan-cancer as a prognostic biomarker and immunotherapy target.

Automated summary

This study investigated the expression and prognostic value of POC1A in pan-cancer using data from GTEx and TCGA. It found that high expression of POC1A was associated with poor prognosis in most cancers. POC1A expression was also related to tumor immune infiltration and microenvironment, as well as immune checkpoint genes, TMB, and MSI. GSEA analysis suggested that POC1A may be involved in cell cycle and immune-related pathways. These findings highlight the importance of POC1A as a prognostic biomarker and target for immunotherapy in pan-cancer.