Abstract
Although the initial research focused on glycolysis, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation has become a major target of cancer cells. Cytochrome C oxidase assembly factor 6 (COA6) is a conserved assembly factor necessary for complex IV biogenesis. Nevertheless, the clinical predictive value of COA6, especially its correlation with immune cell infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), has not yet been elucidated. COA6 exhibited higher expression levels in LUAD cells and tumor tissues compared to normal tissues. Additionally, heightened COA6 expression was associated with reduced overall survival (OS) and advanced tumor stage. Apart from its role in mitochondrial respiratory processes, COA6 may be involved in the process of antigen binding, immunoglobulin receptor binding. Interestingly, we observed a positive correlation between COA6 expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB), as well as a significant association with decreased immune cell infiltration. COA6 was linked to resistance against gemcitabine and etoposide. We verified that COA6 was highly expressed in LUAD experimentally and cell proliferation was inhibited after COA6 knockdown. Thus, we conclude that the expression of COA6 was correlated with reduced immune cell infiltration. Additionally, COA6 functioned as a biomarker for drug sensitivity and the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.