CircRNA-mediated upregulation of HOXC9 is correlated with poor outcome and immune microenvironment infiltrates in LUAD

Abstract

PurposeTo assess HOXC9 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using bioinformatics analysis with experimental validation and to investigate its role and potential mechanisms in NSCLC. MethodsPublic databases were explored to investigate the gene expression, clinical outcomes, immune infiltration, and potential molecular mechanisms of HOXC9 in NSCLC. Next, HOXC9 expression levels in NSCLC were verified by RT-PCR and nucleic acid electrophoresis. In vitro experiments were performed to assess the effects of HOXC9 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. ResultsHOXC9 expression was increased in NSCLC and correlated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, HOXC9 expression levels were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration of tumors and biomarkers of immune cells. Overexpression of HOXC9 promoted NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Finally, the circCENPF/hsa-miR-184 axis was identified as the most promising upstream regulatory pathway of HOXC9 in lung adenocarcinoma. ConclusionHOXC9 expression may reflect the prognosis and immune microenvironment infiltration in NSCLC, emerging as a potential oncogene and a new target for immunotherapy.