Study on MKNK2 as a potential prognostic and immunological biomarker in pan-cancer

Y.-M. Zhang, J.-K. Fan, X.-Y. Wang, J. Liu, T. Li, X.-S. Wang, X.-J. Yang

Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China. ydenny@126.com

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• Neurosurgery
• Oncology

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of the MKNK2 gene in pan-cancer, its prognostic significance, and its relationship with the tumor immune microenvironment, as well as to assess its potential as an immunological and prognostic biomarker.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research utilized data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), including clinical and mutational information. Bioinformatic tools were employed to analyze the association of MKNK2 with carcinogenesis, including its links to prognosis, immune cell infiltration, tumor immune microenvironment, gene mutation, and the stemness of various tumor cells. A variety of statistical software and analytical tools were applied, including R software, SPSS 27.0, TIMER, CIBERSORT algorithm, and EPIC algorithm.

RESULTS: The study found that MKNK2 is abnormally expressed in pan-cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis. The levels of MKNK2 are highly related to immune cell infiltration and tumor stemness. Notably, in liver hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, low-grade gliomas, and acute myeloid leukemia, MKNK2 expression shows a strong correlation with clinical outcomes and immune infiltration. Furthermore, the expression of MKNK2 shows significant correlations with immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and stemness scores across various cancers.

CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal expression of MKNK2 is associated with tumor progression, immune checkpoint genes, immune cell infiltration, microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor mutational burden (TMB), and stemness in a variety of tumors, especially in glioblastoma multiforme low-grade gliomas (GBMLGG). Therefore, MKNK2 may serve as a potent prognostic physiological marker and provide new avenues for the development of tumor mechanisms and therapeutic strategies targeting MKNK2 to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy.

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