Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exosome complex gene 5 (EXOSC5), a member of the exosome complex family, is highly tumorigenic in various cancers. However, its prognostic value and underlying mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remain unclear. METHODS: We analysed LUAD data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) via bioinformatics tools. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between clinical information and EXOSC5 expression in LUAD patients. EXOSC5 expression was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting, and its functional role was investigated through gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and in vitro experiments. RESULTS: EXOSC5 was significantly upregulated in LUAD and associated with poor prognosis. The risk model based on EXOSC5 expression outperformed the traditional staging system for prognosis prediction. EXOSC5 promoted tumor progression by regulating the cell cycle, proliferation, and immune cell infiltration. High EXOSC5 expression was correlated with resistance to anti-PD1 immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: EXOSC5 is a novel oncogenic factor in LUAD that promotes tumor progression and immune evasion and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.