Tubulin Alpha 1b Is Associated with the Immune Cell Infiltration and the Response of HCC Patients to Immunotherapy

Tubulin alpha 1b (TUBA1B) is an important microtubule isoform that is involved in the formation of the cytoskeleton. The objective of our study was to explore the potential of TUBA1B in predicting the prognosis of HCC and patients’ response to immunotherapy. Raw data was extracted from TCGA and GEO databases, and then HCCDB, TIMER, HPA, and GEPIA websites, as well as R software, were used to perform bioinformatics analysis to investigate the potential of TUBA1B as a prognostic and immunotherapeutic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that both TUBA1B mRNA and protein were highly expressed in HCC. TUBA1B was proved to be an independent prognostic predictor of HCC. Additionally, TUBA1B expression was associated with the infiltration of several immune cells in HCC. Moreover, TUBA1B was coexpressed with immune-related genes and immune checkpoints. Patients expressing high TUBA1B responded better to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that TUBA1B may be involved in the processes of cell cycle, spliceosome, and DNA replication. In conclusion, TUBA1B is expected to be a prognostic and immunotherapeutic marker for HCC.