Abstract
PURPOSE: NUP85 encodes protein components of the Nup107-160 subunit of the nuclear pore complex, belonging to the Nucleoporins (NUPs) family, potentially implicating its role in human cancer. This study aims to elucidate the potential involvement of NUP85 in cancer pathogenesis. METHODS: Leveraging data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), CellMiner, and GeneMANIA databases, we investigated the role of NUP85 across various tumors. Correlations between NUP85 expression and pathological stage, histological grade, survival, immune infiltration, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), drug resistance, DNA methylation, copy number variation (CNV), and single-cell expression were analyzed. Gene functional enrichment analysis was conducted to explore NUP85-associated pathways. Molecular biology experiments including Western blotting, flow cytometry, trans-well migration, and invasion assays were performed to validate NUP85's oncogenic role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. RESULTS: Our findings reveal up-regulated expression of NUP85 in most tumor tissues, with significant correlations observed with pathological stage, survival, immune infiltration, TMB, MSI, drug resistance, DNA methylation, and CNV. Molecular biology experiments confirm NUP85's tumor-promoting role in LUAD and OSCC cell lines. Single-cell sequencing data suggest elevated NUP85 expression primarily in proliferative T cells (Tprolif). CONCLUSION: NUP85 emerges as a potential tumor marker associated with tumor immunity and poor prognosis. These insights offer avenues for the development of novel therapeutic targets and anti-neoplastic drugs.