Exploring the Characteristics of Monkeypox-Related Genes in Pan-Cancer

Monkeypox, an infectious virus that is a member of the Poxviridae family, has raised great threats to humans. Compared to the known oncoviruses, the relationship between monkeypox and cancer still remains obscure. Hence, in this study, we analyzed the multi-omics data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database by using genomic and transcriptomic approaches to comprehensively assess the monkeypox-related genes (MRGs) in tumor samples from 33 types of cancers. Based on the results, the expression of MRGs was highly correlated with the immune infiltration and could be further utilized to predict survival in cancer patients. Furthermore, it was shown that tumorigenesis and patient survival were frequently associated with the genomic alterations of MRGs. Moreover, pathway analysis showed that MRGs participated in the regulation of apoptosis, cell cycle, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), DNA damage, and hormone androgen receptor (AR), as well as RAS/MAPK and RTK signaling pathways. Besides, we also developed the prognostic features and consensus clustering clusters of MRGs in cancers. Lastly, by mining the cancer drug sensitivity genomics database, we further identified a series of candidate drugs that may target MRGs. Collectively, this study revealed genomic alterations and clinical features of MRGs, which may provide new hints to explore the potential molecular mechanisms between viruses and cancers as well as to provide new clinical guidance of cancer patients who also face the threats during the monkeypox epidemic.