Abstract
Globally, ovarian cancer (OC) ranks as a principal cause of cancer-related mortality in females. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of OC, but the efficacy of immunotherapy is often limited by different immune microenvironments. The objective of this research was to pinpoint and validate candidate genes with potential value as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in OC. Data on genes associated with gene mutation, prognostic survival, and immune infiltration in OC were procured from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Gene differential analysis, mutation site analysis, prognosis and survival analysis, and functional and signaling pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to identify and evaluate key genes. The genes were further investigated using immune infiltration analysis, receiver operating characteristic curves, and immunohistochemistry. The impact of CDSN on OC cell proliferation was investigated utilizing CCK-8, colony formation, and apoptosis detection assays. We identified a set of genes (CDSN, WARS, and CD38) that were highly expressed in OC and significantly associated with mutations and prognosis. Immune infiltration analysis and immunohistochemistry results indicated a correlation with immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, particularly in antigen-presenting cells. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated the diagnostic potential of these three genes in OC, with all three genes showing the area under the curve (AUC) above 0.8. In vitro studies suggested that knocked down CDSN expression resulted in a marked lower in the proliferative capacity of OC cells. The candidate gene CDSN identified through bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments is associated with mutation and immune infiltration, showing promise as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic objective in OC.