VDR is a potential prognostic biomarker and positively correlated with immune infiltration: a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis with experimental verification

Xuedi Xia ¹, Feng Xu ¹, Dexing Dai ¹

⁰National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Metabolic Bone Diseases, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China.

Bioscience Reports +

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April 19, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) acts as a potential cancer biomarker. VDR expression impacts prognosis and immune cell infiltration across many human cancers, with validated roles in thyroid cancer.

Area Of Science

Oncology
Molecular Biology
Immunology

Background

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is crucial for vitamin D's biological effects.
Evidence suggests VDR's role in cancer suppression, but findings in human cancers are conflicting.
A comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of VDR's role is lacking.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate the relationship between VDR expression and cancer prognosis, immune infiltration, and the tumor microenvironment (TME) across 33 human cancer types.
To experimentally validate VDR's role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Main Methods

Utilized public databases and R software for pan-cancer analysis.
Performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).
Conducted experimental validation in papillary thyroid cancer models.

Main Results

VDR expression varied across cancer types, decreasing in 8 and increasing in 12 compared to normal tissues.
Increased VDR expression correlated with both good and poor prognoses in 13 cancer types.
VDR positively correlated with immune cell infiltration (fibroblasts, macrophages, neutrophils) and stromal/immune components in the TME in numerous cancers.
VDR expression was elevated in PTC, inhibiting proliferation and migration.
GSEA revealed enrichment in immune cell function and energy metabolism pathways.

Conclusions

VDR serves as a potential prognostic biomarker in human cancers.
VDR expression is linked to immune infiltration and TME composition.
VDR plays a validated role in papillary thyroid cancer, affecting proliferation and migration.

Keywords:

Immune infiltration Pan-cancer Prognosis Tumor microenvironment Vitamin D receptor