The Role of TRPA1 as a Prognostic Marker in Colon Adenocarcinoma and Its Correlation with Mutations and Immunity

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of TRP ion channel genes (TRPICGs) in colorectal adenocarcinoma (COAD) and explore its related mechanisms.

The COAD dataset was downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The differential expression genes (DEGs) were screened between COAD and normal samples. The differentially expressed TRPICGs (DE-TRPICGs) were obtained via intersection of DEGs and 28 TRPICGs. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve was used to screen DE-TRPICGs with survival differences as prognostic markers. Afterward, the correlation of prognostic marker with clinical, immune cell, copy number variation were explored. Finally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to verify the expression of prognostic marker.

Overall, 6003 DEGs were screened, and 6 DE-TRPICGs were obtained. Only TRPA1 was identified as prognostic biomarker. Survival and clinical correlation analyses implied that TRPA1 played an inhibitory role in colon adenocarcinoma pathogenesis and progression. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) indicated that TRPA1 was associated with cell cycle and immune-related pathways. Immune infiltration analysis showed that TRPA1 expression was significantly correlated with the infiltration of B cells, CD4⁺T cells, CD8⁺T cells, neutrophils and dendritic cells. Eventually, TRPA1 expression was down-regulated at the protein level in COAD samples, which presented consistent results with expression in the database.

TRPA1 was identified in COAD as a prognostic marker associated with TRP ion channels, which provided a powerful reference value and a new direction for the diagnosis and treatment of COAD.