SFTPB: A signature gene for lung adenocarcinoma development

To explore the relationship between surfactant protein B (SFTPB) gene expression and multiple biological processes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and construct a SFTPB-related gene signature for predicting LUAD prognosis.

Utilizing open-access datasets, we systematically investigated the association of SFTPB expression with patient prognosis, clinicopathological characteristics, immunoinfiltration, drug sensitivity, gene mutations, and methylation levels using the publicly available data. Pathway analysis revealed SFTPB-related signaling cascades, with distinct gene expression profiles being discerned when comparing groups exhibiting high versus low SFTPB expression levels. Additionally, we screened for optimal gene combinations for identifying prognostic signature and generated a nomogram using independent prognostic factors.

SFTPB was significantly downregulated in LUAD samples, and patients with high SFTPB expression exhibited favorable survival. The high-SFTPB expression group exhibited lower tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion scores, IC50 values for eight chemotherapy drugs, and tumor mutation burden values. SFTPB expression was associated with multiple immune cells, including macrophages and activated CD4 T cells. Furthermore, we identified seven pathways, including such as PI3K-AKT-mTOR, associated with SFTPB. A risk model with high predictive value for the prognosis of patients with LUAD was constructed using ANLN, LYPD3, and IRX5.

SFTPB expression was correlated with multiple biological processes in LUAD and may therefore serve as a valuable prognostic marker for LUAD.