INHBB is a novel prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in gastric cancer

Abstract

Inhibin subunit beta B (INHBB) is a potential prognostic biomarker for a variety of cancers. However, its role in gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. The differential expression data of INHBB in tumor and normal tissues were extracted from several databases and genetic alterations of INHBB were assessed by cBioPortal. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the survival rate of patients with GC with INHBB and association with clinical features in GC. Cox regression analysis was used to explore the prognostic value of clinical indicators and INHBB in GC, and a nomogram prognostic model was established. In addition, the predictive validity of the nomogram model was assessed by time-depended receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted to functionally annotate INHBB. Notably, we found that the quantitative assessment of immune cell subpopulation infiltration correlated with INHBB expression. INHBB expression is upregulated in GC and is correlated with several clinical features including prognostic indicators and a histological type. Genetic alterations were observed in INHBB, its DNA methylation level was negatively correlated with INHBB expression. High INHBB expression is associated with a poor prognosis and is an independent risk factor for prognosis in GC, along with age and residual tumor. The nomogram model showed a good prediction ability and was validated by time-depended ROC and calibration curves. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that INHBB-associated genes were enriched in tumor microenvironment Gene Ontology (GO) terms and were correlated with tumor-associated pathways. INHBB has a regulatory function in immune cell infiltration, especially macrophage infiltration in GC. Specifically, patients with GC with high INHBB expression and high macrophage infiltration have a worse prognosis. INHBB expression was negatively correlated with the expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors and plays a regulatory role in immunoinhibitor/immunostimulator-involved pathways. INHBB is a potential prognostic biomarker for GC and may drive the abnormal activity of critical cancer-associated pathways, potentially contributing to immune cell infiltration to promote GC development.

Identification and verification of anoikis-related gene markers to predict the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer and assist in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer

“…Despite this, a large number of studies have demonstrated elevated INHBB expression in rectal cancer, endometrial cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and placental tumor ( 28 , 31 , 32 ). In this study, we discovered that high INHBB expression was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with bladder cancer; similar findings have been reported in other study on gastric cancer ( 33 ). KLF12 is a member of the Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) family ( 34 ).…”

Experimental prognostic model integrating N6-methyladenosine-related programmed cell death genes in colorectal cancer

“…Among them, INHBB is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, which has been identified as a potential prognostic biomarker in various cancers including CRC. 66 , 67 We also found that INHBB was highly expressed in CRC, but the expression trend lacked necessary experimental verification and was only predicted by bioinformatics analysis. SNAI1 is a critical EMT inducer and a driving factor for cancer progression, including cell invasion, survival, immune regulation, stemness, and metabolic regulation.…”

Evaluation of the prognostic and therapeutic potential of inhibin beta B for oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…In addition, a recent study showed that active fractions from golden-flowered tea dropped INHBB expression in tumor cells of non-small cell lung cancer. 27 Combined with the finding from immune infiltration result in gastric cancer 20 and immunocompromised patients via deep learning in OSCC, 28 it is suggested that tumor immune microenvironment may play a role in INHBB modulation. After unraveling the mystery of the regulatory mechanism of INHBB in oral cancer, it would help develop possibly specific anticancer drugs.…”

“… 18 , 19 A similar result has been found in gastric cancer, where INHBB was correlated with immune infiltration. 20 Furthermore, INHBB provided an environment suitable for metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. 21 Conversely, other studies in the epigenetic field held a contrary opinion.…”