Shao Zhiwen, Dong Tao, Yun Ke, Wang Zhaohui, Wen Yu, Zhang Zongli, Jia Tao
Department of Stomatology, Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, 712000, Shaanxi, China.
Department of Stomatology, Yan'an University Xianyang Hospital, Xianyang, 712000, Shaanxi, China.
Eur J Med Res. 2025 Jul 2;30(1):562. doi: 10.1186/s40001-025-02830-x.
The expression of EIF2S2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) may be closely linked to tumor progression and immune evasion.
To explore the expression patterns of EIF2S2 in OSCC and its associations with the immune microenvironment, mutational burden, drug sensitivity, and prognosis.
We studied the functionality of EIF2S2 through tissue sample analysis, differential expression analysis, single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), immune scoring, drug sensitivity assessments, and interaction network construction.
EIF2S2 expression was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues (AUC = 0.846). There were notable differences in immune scoring, cell infiltration, and functional activity between high and low expression groups. The high expression group exhibited significantly reduced immune cell infiltration (e.g., CD8 + T cells), decreased immune function, and poor responses to CTLA-4 and PD-1 therapies. At the single-cell level, significant changes were observed in the ratios of B cells and T cells in the high expression group. Differential gene analysis revealed significant differences in immune-related genes between the two groups. Mutational analysis showed a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB) in the high EIF2S2 expression group, which correlated with worse prognosis (p = 0.012). Drug enrichment analysis identified several potential drugs associated with EIF2S2, with molecular docking confirming binding patterns.
EIF2S2 not only promotes tumor progression in OSCC, but may also affect the efficacy of immunotherapy by modulating the immune microenvironment, with its high expression correlating with poor prognosis, suggesting that EIF2S2 may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target.
真核生物翻译起始因子2亚基2（EIF2S2）在口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）中的表达可能与肿瘤进展和免疫逃逸密切相关。
探讨EIF2S2在OSCC中的表达模式及其与免疫微环境、突变负荷、药物敏感性和预后的关系。
我们通过组织样本分析、差异表达分析、单细胞RNA测序（scRNA-seq）、免疫评分、药物敏感性评估和相互作用网络构建来研究EIF2S2的功能。
EIF2S2在OSCC组织中的表达显著上调（曲线下面积[AUC]=0.846）。高表达组和低表达组在免疫评分、细胞浸润和功能活性方面存在显著差异。高表达组的免疫细胞浸润（如CD8+T细胞）显著减少，免疫功能下降，对细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关抗原4（CTLA-4）和程序性死亡蛋白1（PD-1）治疗的反应较差。在单细胞水平上，高表达组的B细胞和T细胞比例发生了显著变化。差异基因分析显示两组之间免疫相关基因存在显著差异。突变分析显示，EIF2S2高表达组的肿瘤突变负荷（TMB）较高，这与较差的预后相关（p=0.012）。药物富集分析确定了几种与EIF2S2相关的潜在药物，分子对接证实了其结合模式。
EIF2S2不仅促进OSCC的肿瘤进展，还可能通过调节免疫微环境影响免疫治疗的疗效，其高表达与预后不良相关，提示EIF2S2可能是一种潜在的生物标志物和治疗靶点。
