ZC3H12D upregulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a potential prognostic biomarker associated with immune infiltration

• Published in: Brazilian journal of medical and biological research Vol. 58; p. e14227
• Main Authors: Zhao, Mingyu, Huang, Wenkai, Huang, Xu, Gu, Feihan, Yang, Lin, Wang, Yuanyin, Chen, Ran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Associacao Brasileira de Divulgacao Cientifica (ABDC) 01.01.2025; Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica
• Subjects: Analysis; Anopheles; B cells; BIOLOGY; Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Development and progression; DNA binding proteins; Female; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genomics; Head and neck cancer; Head and Neck Neoplasms - genetics; Head and Neck Neoplasms - immunology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Health aspects; HNSCC; Humans; Immune infiltration; Immune response; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL; Middle Aged; Prognosis; ROC Curve; Squamous cell carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - genetics; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - immunology; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck - pathology; TCGA; Tumor Microenvironment - immunology; Up-Regulation; ZC3H12D; Zinc finger proteins; China; ZC3H12D; Prognosis; HNSCC; TCGA; Immune infiltration
• ISSN: 0100-879X; 1414-431X; 1414-431X
• DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x2024e14227

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant tumor that poses a major hazard to people's health. ZC3H12D, which belongs to the family of CCCH-type zinc finger-containing proteins, is a negative regulator with a key function in immune modulation. However, it is still unclear how ZC3H12D affects the immune infiltration and prognosis of HNSCC. In this study, the data obtained from various databases were used to assess ZC3H12D expression in HNSCC and in various tumors under the HNSCC classification. The association between clinical features and ZC3H12D expression in HNSCC was evaluated using the UALCAN database. Additionally, a ROC curve was employed to analyze the diagnostic value of ZC3H12D. The effect of ZC3H12D on prognosis was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox analysis, and the nomogram model. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were employed to investigate the underlying role of ZC3H12D in HNSCC. The association between ZC3H12D expression and the tumor microenvironment and immune checkpoints were investigated by TIMER2 and Tumor Immune Single Cell Hub 2 databases and various packages in R. The findings demonstrated a significant up-regulation of ZC3H12D expression in HNSCC, while ZC3H12D expression was found to be associated with clinical parameters. Our study also demonstrated that ZC3H12D could act as a potential prognostic biomarker for HNSCC, especially oral squamous cell carcinoma. Additional analyses have shown that ZC3H12D was associated with common immune checkpoint genes and may be related to immune infiltration in HNSCC.