Pan-cancer analysis reveals an immunological role and prognostic potential of PXN in human cancer

Abstract

Paxillin (PXN) is a protein involved in numerous physiological processes, and its presence is closely related to the occurrence and development of many types of tumors. However, no studies have analyzed PXN from a pan-cancer perspective. We analyzed <i>PXN</i> expression, immune cell infiltration, prognosis, and biological function across different types of tumors included in The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. The results showed that expression of <i>PXN</i> varies in different tumors. Expression of <i>PXN</i> strongly correlated with prognosis in patients with tumors; higher <i>PXN</i> expression usually was linked to poor overall and disease-free survival. Expression of <i>PXN</i> in breast invasive carcinoma and lymphoid neoplasm diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was related to the degree of CD8+ T-cell infiltration, and infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts, such as kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma and brain lower-grade glioma, was also observed in other tumors. The results of pan-cancer analysis showed that abnormal <i>PXN</i> expression was related to poor prognosis, immune infiltration, and protein phosphorylation in different tumor types. Therefore, the <i>PXN</i> gene may become a potential biomarker of clinical tumor prognosis.