Differential GPR56 Expression in T Cell Subpopulations for Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma Patient Identification

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to investigate the expression of GPR56 in the T cells of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients and clarify its diagnostic significance. Methods Blood samples were collected from 32 patients with stage IA LUAD and 31 healthy controls. GPR56 and perforin were analysed in circulating T-cell subsets by flow cytometry. In addition, a correlation between perforin and GPR56 expression was detected. Changes in GPR56+ cells in early LUAD patients were analysed, and the diagnostic significance of GPR56+ T cells for early LUAD was studied by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results The expression of GPR56 in CD8+ T cells from early-stage LUAD patients was significantly greater than that in CD4+ T cells. The percentage of perforin-positive GPR56+ cells in early-stage LUAD patients was high. GPR56 levels in the T cells of LUAD patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls. ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve for the percentage of GPR56-positive CD8+ TEMRA cells to distinguish early-stage LUAD patients from healthy individuals- reached 0.7978. Conclusion The decreased expression of GPR56 in the peripheral blood of early-stage LUAD patients correlated with perforin levels, reflecting compromised antitumor immunity and aiding early-stage LUAD screening.