AUTHOR=Zhao Qian , Shen Chuan , Wei Junwei , Zhao Caiyan 

TITLE=Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class C is a prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.899407

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.899407

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background and aims:</bold> The exact function of Phosphatidylinositol Glycan Anchor Biosynthesis, Class C <italic>(PIGC)</italic> gene has yet to be elucidated. In the study, we attempted to clarify the correlations of <italic>PIGC</italic> to prognosis and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold><italic>PIGC</italic> expression was analyzed <italic>via</italic> the Oncomine database, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Hepatocellular carcinoma data base, Human Protein Atlas database and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). We showed the correlation of <italic>PIGC</italic> with the clinical characteristics using UALCAN. We evaluated the influence of <italic>PIGC</italic> on clinical prognosis using Kaplan-Meier plotter databases. And co-expressed genes with <italic>PIGC</italic> and its regulators were identified using LinkedOmics. The correlations between <italic>PIGC</italic> and cancer immune infiltrates were investigated <italic>via</italic> TIMER. We analyzed the drug sensitivity and immunotherapy response via R package.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold><italic>PIGC</italic> was found up-regulated in tumor tissues in multiple HCC cohorts, also increased in HCC patient with different clinical characteristics. High <italic>PIGC</italic> expression was associated with poorer overall survival. <italic>PIGC</italic> expression showed a strong positive association with the expression of ACBD6, a strong negative association with AGXT212. The cell components and distribution in treatment and non-treatment of HCC patients were quite distinct, which may reveal the relationship between the immunotherapy with tumor microenvironment. Notably, <italic>PIGC</italic> expression was positively correlated with infiltrating levels of immune cells.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> These findings suggest that <italic>PIGC</italic> is correlated with prognosis and immune infiltrating in HCC, which can be used as a prognostic biomarker for determining prognosis, laying a foundation for further study of the immune regulatory role of <italic>PIGC</italic> in HCC.</p>