CARS as a Prognosis Factor in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Its Association with Tumor Immunity

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of CARS (cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and its biological action mechanisms. METHODS: Expression profiles and clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to estimate the CARS expression patterns in ccRCC, its relationship with clinicopathological variables, and prognosis of ccRCC and potential biological mechanisms in ccRCC. RESULTS: CARS was significantly elevated in ccRCC. Overexpression of CARS indicated disease progression. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified CARS as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) in renal clear cell carcinoma. Mechanically, CARS influenced the progression of ccRCC through several tumor-related pathways. Additionally, we found that CARS was significantly associated with tumor mutational burden, tumor-infiltrating immune cells, immunosuppressive molecules, methyltransferases, and mismatch repair proteins. CONCLUSION: CARS could serve as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for ccRCC.