Abstract
BASP1 is a membrane-bound protein that plays a promotional or inhibitory role in a variety of tumors; however, its role in gastric cancer (GC) and in the immune microenvironment has not been reported. The objectives of this study were to determine whether BASP1 is a valuable prognostic marker for GC and to explore its role in the immune microenvironment of GC. The expression level of BASP1 in GC was analyzed based on the TCGA dataset and further verified using GSE54129 and GSE161533 datasets, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. The association between BASP1 and clinicopathological characteristics, as well as its predictive value, were examined using the STAD dataset. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether BASP1 can be used as an independent prognostic indicator for GC, and a nomogram was constructed to predict OS. The association between BASP1 and immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and immune cell markers was confirmed by enrichment analysis, as well as analysis based on the TIMER and GEPIA databases. BASP1 was observed to be highly expressed in GC and was associated with a poor prognosis. The expression of BASP1 was positively correlated with the expression of immune checkpoints and immune cell markers, as well as immune cell infiltration. Thus, BASP1 may serve as a standalone prognostic indicator for GC. BASP1 is highly correlated with immune processes, and its expression is positively correlated with the degree of immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and immune cell markers.