Abstract
Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is a major health concern among men worldwide, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Identifying key regulatory genes and signaling pathways involved in PC progression is essential for improving diagnosis and developing targeted therapies. Methods: Prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the GSE46602 dataset were analyzed using bioinformatics techniques in order to determine the hub gene linked to PC. Through cell experiments, we studied the effects of SNX7 and its related genes on PC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and autophagy-related protein binding. Additionally, we looked into the connection between SNX7 expression and other immune cells. Results: We discovered that a favorable prognosis for patients with PC was linked to increased expression of SNX7. The function of SNX7 as a tumor suppressor gene in PC was further demonstrated by in vitro experiments, and its overexpression may successfully stop PC cell proliferation. CFLIP was positively correlated with SNX7, and its overexpression significantly reduced PC cell viability, migration, and invasion. Rescue experiments showed that SNX7 overexpression reversed the proliferative and invasive effects induced by CFLIP knockdown. Additionally, CFLIP knockdown enhanced the interaction between ATG3 and LC3A, whereas overexpression of SNX7 or CFLIP weakened this binding. SNX7 was also found to be associated with various immune cells, hinting at a prospective immunomodulatory role in PC. Conclusion: The research results showed that SNX7 activates the expression of CFLIP, inhibited the binding of ATG3 and LC3, and inhibited the occurrence of autophagy, emphasizing the potential diagnostic value of SNX7 in PC.