MTF1 has the potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for gastric cancer and is associated with good prognosis.

PURPOSE

Metal Regulatory Transcription Factor 1 (MTF1) can be an essential transcription factor for heavy metal response in cells and can also reduce oxidative and hypoxic stresses in cells. However, the current research on MTF1 in gastric cancer is lacking.

METHODS

Bioinformatics techniques were used to perform expression analysis, prognostic analysis, enrichment analysis, tumor microenvironment correlation analysis, immunotherapy Immune cell Proportion Score (IPS) correlation and drug sensitivity correlation analysis of MTF1 in gastric cancer. And qRT-PCR was used to verify MTF1 expression in gastric cancer cells and tissues.

RESULTS

MTF1 showed low expression in gastric cancer cells and tissues, and low expression in T3 stage compared with T1 stage. KM prognostic analysis showed that high expression of MTF1 was significantly associated with longer overall survival (OS), FP (first progression) and PPS (post-progression survival) in gastric cancer patients. Cox regression analysis showed that MTF1 was an independent prognostic factor and a protective factor in gastric cancer patients. MTF1 is involved in pathways in cancer, and the high expression of MTF1 is negatively correlated with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of common chemotherapeutic drugs.

CONCLUSION

MTF1 is relatively lowly expressed in gastric cancer. MTF1 is also an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients and is associated with good prognosis. It has the potential to be a diagnostic and prognostic marker for gastric cancer.