Abstract
Lung cancer is the most prevalent and lethal disease globally, with approximately 80% of cases being non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC is primarily composed of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Despite chemotherapy currently being the primary treatment for NSCLC, chemotherapy resistance remains a significant challenge for patients. Recent studies have proposed immunotherapy as a promising new avenue for treating NSCLC. The association between the lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) gene and NSCLC was explored using multiple online tools and bioinformatics analysis software based on the available datasets from TCGA. The immune microenvironment of the tumor was explored by calculating ImmuneScore, StromalScore, and TumorPurity of LUAD and LUSC and analyzing the infiltration of 22 immune cells in lung cancer tissues. LOXL2-related loads were obtained from the Xena database for LUSC and LUAD patients, and relevant prognostic genes were identified by analyzing survival curves. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses of prognostic, predictive genes were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The expression of LOXL2 in NSCLC was detected by RT-qPCR. LOXL2 may be involved in the progression of LUAD and LUSC and is closely related to the T-lymphocyte subpopulation, T-reg cells. SEMA7A and VEGFC are identified as the genes that interact with LOXL2 and could be used as prognostic signature genes in NSCLC patients. LOXL2 may become a prognostic marker and a new target for immunotherapy.