Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is the most prevalent type of endocrine cancer. Retinoid X Receptor Gamma (RXRG) encodes a member of the retinoid X receptor (RXR) family of nuclear receptors that are involved in mediating the antiproliferative effects of retinoic acid (RA). However, the role of RXRG in THCA remains unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiple public databases were utilized to investigate RXRG expression in THCA and its role in THCA prognosis, analyze the RXRG co-expressed genes and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, as well as to analyze the immune cell infiltration in THCA using enrichment analysis and the association of RXRG expression with immune cell infiltration. RESULTS: The expression of RXRG is higher in THCA tissues than in normal thyroid tissues. In THCA, a reduced expression of RXRG is associated with poor prognosis. Both the pathological stage and RXRG expression are independent risk factors for the overall survival (OS) of THCA patients. RXRG is mainly associated with signaling pathways such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway, interleukin signaling, and interleukin-18 signaling pathway, all of which may be related to immunity. Finally, it was found that the expression of RXRG is associated with the infiltration of various immune cells and may affect the prognosis of patients through changes in the immune environment. CONCLUSION: RXRG has a significant impact on the tumor microenvironment (TME) of THCA, potentially serving as a valuable biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy.