CBX7, a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major type of NSCLC and has high morbidity and mortality. The identification of useful prognostic biomarkers for LUAD is important. CBX7 has been reported in various cancers yet its expression level and potential roles have not been fully understood. METHODS: GEPIA, Oncomine, TCGA, KM plotter and OSluca databases were used to explore the expression profile and prognostic effects of CBX7 mRNA expression in patients with LUAD. TIMER was used to explore the relationship between CBX7 and immune infiltrating cells. GSEA was used to further explore the potential biological process and pathways regulated by CBX7 in LUAD. Lastly, IHC detection of CBX7 in 95 samples was used to validate the result. RESULTS: We found CBX7 was downregulated in LUAD in GEPIA, Oncomine and TCGA databases. TCGA, KM plotter and OSluca databases suggested that CBX7 was associated with poor clinical outcomes and low survival rate. Using TIMER, we found that CBX7 might be associated with immune infiltration. Via gene set enrichment analysis, we found that tumor-associated biological processes and signaling pathways were enriched in the CBX7 downregulated group. Using clinical samples, we found that CBX7 protein has low expression in LUAD and was associated with poor survival. CONCLUSION: CBX7 might serve as a promising biomarker and potential molecular target in LUAD.