Low Expression of SCN4B Predicts Poor Prognosis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Sodium voltage-gated channel beta subunit 4 (SCN4B) plays a suppressive role in various tumors. However, the role of SCN4B in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not yet clear. This study aims to investigate the expression of SCN4B in NSCLC patients and its correlation with prognosis.

Firstly, the expression of SCN4B in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified using R software. Next, DEG enrichment pathways were analyzed using the R package clusterProfiler. Protein-protein interaction networks were revealed through STRING analysis. A heatmap showed significant differential expression of SCN4B. Further analysis included examining SCN4B expression in a pan-cancer context and its correlation with 24 types of immune cells in NSCLC. Subsequently, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western Blot, immunohistochemistry, and clinical data were used to validate SCN4B expression and prognostic value in NSCLC patients.

SCN4B mRNA expression in non-small cell lung cancer tissues was significantly lower than in adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.001). Clinical correlation analysis confirmed its association with clinical pathology. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and tumor immune-related analyses indicated that SCN4B is involved in NSCLC-related Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and participates in immune infiltration. qRT-PCR, Western Blot, and immunohistochemistry also confirmed that SCN4B is downregulated in NSCLC patients and is associated with poor prognosis.

SCN4B is downregulated in tumor tissues of NSCLC patients and is associated with a poor prognosis.