A Systematic Pan-Cancer Analysis of CASP3 as a Potential Target for Immunotherapy

Zheng Zhou1,2, Shiying Xu1,3, Liehao Jiang1,3

  • 1Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Centre of Otolaryngology-head and Neck Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.

Insights

The CASP3 gene, encoding caspase-3, is crucial for apoptosis and tumor suppression. Pan-cancer analysis reveals CASP3 expression impacts prognosis, methylation, TMB, MSI, and the tumor microenvironment across many cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Caspase-3 (CASP3) is a key protease in apoptosis, essential for DNA fragmentation.
  • CASP3's role in tumor suppression via apoptosis is established, but comprehensive pan-cancer analyses are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a systematic pan-cancer analysis of CASP3 expression.
  • To investigate the relationship between CASP3 and cancer prognosis, DNA methylation, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and immune cell infiltration.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases.
  • Analyzed CASP3 expression in relation to clinicopathological features and molecular subtypes across various cancer types.

Main Results:

  • CASP3 expression significantly correlates with prognosis in most tumors.
  • Promoter methylation of CASP3 is linked to its expression in several specific cancers.
  • CASP3 expression is associated with TMB and MSI in 15 tumor types.
  • CASP3 correlates with the tumor microenvironment and immune functions, including B cell activation and antigen presentation.

Conclusions:

  • CASP3 expression is a significant prognostic factor across diverse cancers.
  • CASP3's functions extend beyond apoptosis to immune responses and inflammation.
  • CASP3 represents a potential pan-cancer prognostic biomarker.