Comprehensive analysis of the correlation of the pan-cancer gene HAUS5 with prognosis and immune infiltration in liver cancer

Abstract

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the most common malignancies and places a heavy burden on patients worldwide. HAUS augmin-like complex subunit 5 (HAUS5) is involved in the occurrence and development of various cancers. However, the functional role and significance of HAUS5 in LIHC remain unclear. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to analyze the mRNA expression of HAUS5. The value of HAUS5 in predicting LIHC prognosis and the relationship between HAUS5 and clinicopathological features were assessed by the Kaplan–Meier plotter and UALCAN databases. Functional enrichment analyses and nomogram prediction model construction were performed with the R packages. The LinkedOmics database was searched to reveal co-expressed genes associated with HAUS5. The relationship between HAUS5 expression and immune infiltration was explored by searching the TISIDB database and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). The Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases were used to evaluate HAUS5 protein expression. Finally, the effect of HAUS5 on the proliferation of hepatoma cells was verified by CCK-8, colony formation and EdU assays. HAUS5 is aberrantly expressed and associated with a poor prognosis in most tumors, including LIHC. The expression of HAUS5 is significantly correlated with clinicopathological indicators in patients with LIHC. Functional enrichment analysis showed that HAUS5 was closely related to DNA replication, cell cycle and p53 signaling pathway. HAUS5 may serve as an independent risk factor for LIHC prognosis. The nomogram based on HAUS5 had area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.74 and 0.77 for predicting the 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) of LIHC patients. Immune correlation analysis showed that HAUS5 was significantly associated with immune infiltration. Finally, the results of in vitro experiments showed that when HAUS5 was knocked down, the proliferation of hepatoma cells was significantly decreased. The pan-oncogene HAUS5 is a positive regulator of LIHC progression and is closely associated with a poor prognosis in LIHC. Moreover, HAUS5 is involved in immune infiltration in LIHC. HAUS5 may be a new prognostic marker and therapeutic target for LIHC patients.