NFATC3 enhances osteosarcoma progression by increasing PD-L1 and CXCL2 levels

Osteosarcoma (OS), in which immune cells play an important role in the development and progression of OS, is the most common malignant bone tumor in the adolescent population. In this study, we performed bioconfidence analysis and experimental confirmation of the expression of the immune gene NFATC3 in OS and its function. qRT-PCR revealed high expression of NFATC3 in several OS cell lines, including 143B, SJSA, HOS, MG63, and MNNG, which was validated by multiple osteosarcoma sequencing datasets. MNNG overexpression of NFATC3 increased the proliferation and migration of MNNG cells. Single-cell sequencing analysis of the OS microenvironment revealed increased expression of NFATC3 in T cells and macrophages. Next, we further analyzed the expression of NFATC3 in the OS microenvironment using single cells. Finally, we explored the mechanism by which NFATC3 affects OS progression. Our results revealed that the overexpression of NFATC3 promoted the expression of PD-L1 ligands and the upregulation of inflammatory factors (IL-1β and TNF-α). The results from the construction of a tumor cell and macrophage coculture system revealed that the overexpression of NFATC3 promoted the expression of CXCL2 in M0 macrophages. In conclusion, our study suggests that NFATC3 drives the development of OS by promoting tumor cell proliferation and remodeling the immune microenvironment.