The immune-related prognostic gene AIM2 promotes pancreatic cancer progression via inflammasome

Immune-related factors are closely associated with tumor progression and responses to immunotherapy. A systematic analysis of the immunogenomic landscape and the identification of key immune-related genes (IRGs) can contribute to a better understanding of pancreatic cancer. To identify immune-related genetic prognostic characteristics (IRGPs) of pancreatic cancer, we first constructed an IRGP model containing multiple immune-related genes and determined the relative contributions of each gene using coefficients from the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis. Subsequently, the prognostic value of the signature was validated through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Additionally, we explored the potential relationship between IRGPs and immune cell infiltration. Nine gene prognostic features were identified as the optimal IRGPs, which include six high-risk genes and three low-risk genes. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated that this feature can effectively distinguish between high-risk and low-risk groups. The area under the curve (AUC) value indicated that IRGPs provide better prognostic clinical utility compared to existing TNM staging classifications. The median overall survival (OS) of high-risk patients was significantly shorter, and the infiltration levels of 24 immune cell types were lower. This study identified nine genes that have been identified as important prognostic biomarkers with immune-related characteristics for pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, we also explored the role of AIM2 in pancreatic cancer among the immune-related signature genes. AIM2 may influence the immune invasion and immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer by promoting the inflammatory environment of pancreatic cancer. AIM2 could be a new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.