ETNK2 Low-Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in Renal Cell Carcinoma with Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment

BACKGROUND: The ethanolamine kinase 2 (ETNK2) gene is implicated in carcinogenesis, but its expression and involvement in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remain unknown. METHODS: Initially, we conducted a pan-cancer study in which we searched the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, the UALCAN, and the Human Protein Atlas databases to determine the expression level of the ETNK2 gene in KIRC. The Kaplan–Meier curve was then used to calculate the overall survival (OS) of KIRC patients. We then used the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and enrichment analysis to explain the mechanism of the ETNK2 gene. Finally, the immune cell infiltration analysis was performed. RESULTS: Although the ETNK2 gene expression was lower in KIRC tissues, the findings illustrated a link between the ETNK2 gene expression and a shorter OS time for KIRC patients. DEGs and enrichment analysis revealed that the ETNK2 gene in KIRC involved multiple metabolic pathways. Finally, the ETNK2 gene expression has been linked to several immune cell infiltrations. CONCLUSIONS: According to the findings, the ETNK2 gene plays a crucial role in tumor growth. It can potentially serve as a negative prognostic biological marker for KIRC by modifying immune infiltrating cells.