ATP13A2 as a prognostic biomarker and its correlation with immune infiltration in cervical cancer: A retrospective study

Abstract

While the oncogene ATP13A2 is reportedly involved in colorectal cancer, its role in cervical cancer (CC) has yet to be fully characterized. In this study, we investigated ATP13A2 as a potential prognostic biomarker of CC. To this end, we compared CC tissues with normal tissues to identify differentially expressed genes, identifying ATP13A2 as a potential marker of CC. Elevated ATP13A2 expression levels were identified in CC samples compared to noncancerous samples across various data sets, with further immunohistochemical validation. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that ATP13A2 plays an essential role in the CXCL12-activated CXCR4 signalling pathway and chemotaxis regulation, which may alter immune infiltration. Notably, increased ATP13A2 levels were associated with poor overall survival. Furthermore, multiple clinical characteristics were significantly associated with ATP13A2 expression. Additionally, tumour bacterial infiltration was assessed using weighted co-expression network analysis, revealing a relationship between ATP13A2 expression and bacteria in the CC tumour microenvironment. Our results suggest that ATP13A2 is a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for CC. However, further large-scale studies are needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms underlying the involvement of ATP13A2 in CC.