Prognostic and immunological role of alpha-L-fucosidase 2 () in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

This study investigated the prognostic and immunological significance of alpha-L-fucosidase 2 () in hepatocellular cancer (HCC).

METHODS

The expression of and its clinical and prognostic values were explored across several databases, namely the University of Alabama Cancer Database, The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, and the Human Protein Atlas. The prognostic relevance of was investigated using Kaplan-Meier curves, nomograms, and Cox analysis. The "limma" package in R was used to identify differentially expressed genes between high and low expression. A protein interaction network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING), whereas hub genes and clustering modules were identified using Cytoscape. "clusterProfiler", an R package, was used to examine the potential function of . Using gene set enrichment analysis, signaling pathways associated with expression were identified. Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT), Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) 2.0, and Tumor and Immune System Interaction Database (TISIDB) were used to examine immune infiltration and in HCC.

RESULTS

Many datasets indicated that expression is higher in HCC, and that this is related to age and overall survival (OS). With the cutoff value of 50% as the dividing threshold, the patients were divided into a high-FUCA2 expression group (n=167) and a low-FUCA2 expression group (n=168). High levels of FUCA2 expression coincided with decreased OS. expression in HCC was associated with immune infiltrates. The functional mechanisms of depend on signal release, extracellular matrix collagen, and neuroactive ligands and receptors.

CONCLUSIONS

In HCC, increased expression is associated with a poor prognosis and immune infiltration. may serve as an immunological and predictive biomarker for HCC.