Abstract
PURPOSE: RING Finger 187 (RNF187) has recently emerged as a potential contributor to tumorigenesis. However, a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of RNF187 in human tumors has not been undertaken until now. METHODS: Our study aims to investigate RNF187 expression across 33 different types of human tumors, utilizing data from the TCGA and GTEx databases. RESULTS: The pan-cancer analysis revealed significant upregulation of RNF187 in 27 types of cancers, contrasting with only low expression in LAML, with no statistical differences in OV and SARC. Notably, discernible associations were identified between RNF187 expression and the prognosis of cancer patients. Our investigation also unveiled correlations between RNA modification of RNF187 across various cancer types. Further exploration indicated a positive correlation between RNF187 levels and the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in numerous tumor types. Additionally, RNF187 exhibited correlations with a majority of immune inhibitory and stimulatory genes, as well as chemokines, receptors, MHC molecules, immunoinhibitors, and immunostimulators in various cancers. The findings highlighted associations between RNF187 expression and Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), Microsatellite Instability (MSI) and Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) in specific tumors. Finally, RNF187 showed a significant positive association with five genes (ALKBH4, FAM134A, MLST8, SANP47 and TMEM9) across the majority of tumors. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses suggested that RNF187 may play a role in the pathogenesis of cancer through processes such as "bounding membrane of organelle," "macroautophagy," "proton-transporting V-type ATPase complex," "autophagy," "Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis," "Ferroptosis," "Phagosome," and etc. CONCLUSION: Our inaugural pan-cancer study aims to provide a profound understanding of RNF187 in tumorigenesis across diverse types of tumors.