Comprehensive analysis to identify GNG7 as a prognostic biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma correlating with immune infiltrates

Abstract Background: G Protein Subunit Gamma 7 (GNG7) has been reported to be down-regulated in a variety of tumors including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the correlation between GNG7 and the prognosis as well as the immune infiltrates of LUAD remains unclear. Methods: GNG7 expression and its prognostic value in LUAD were assessed through statistically analyzing the data from different databases. A nomogram was constructed to predict the impact of GNG7 on prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and single-sample gene set enrichment analyses GSEA (ssGSEA) were employed to determine the potential signal pathways and evaluated the immune cell infiltration regulated by GNG7. The prognostic significance of GNG7 expression associated with immune cell infiltration was investigated using the TIMER2.0 and the K-M plotter database. The UALCAN, cBioPortal and MethSurv database were used to analyze the correlation between the methylation of GNG7 and its mRNA expression as well as prognostic significance. Results: GNG7 was demonstrated to be down-regulated in LUAD and its low expression was associated with poor prognosis. A clinical reliable prognostic-predictive model was constructed. Pathway enrichment showed that GNG7 was highly related to the B cell receptor signaling pathway. Further analysis showed that GNG7 was positively associated with B cell infiltration and low levels of B cell infiltration tended to associate with worse prognosis in patients with low GNG7 expression. Moreover, methylation analysis suggested hypermethylation may contribute to the low expression of GNG7 in LUAD. Conclusion: GNG7 may be a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential immunotherapeutic target for LUAD.