Integrative analysis of TNFRSF6B as a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignant tumors worldwide with poor outcomes. Previous studies have shown that () plays an important role in cancer progression and immunosuppression. However, the mechanisms by which influence pancreatic cancer, and the regulatory networks involved remain to be further studied.

Methods: This study analyzed the mRNA information and clinical data of patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the ONCOMINE databases. The gene co-expression data regarding was obtained from the c-BioPortal and used to explore the functional network of in pancreatic cancer, as well as its function in tumor immunity. Short hairpin (sh) RNA knock-down experiments were performed to examine the functional roles of in pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Results: The expression of was elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues compared to normal pancreatic tissues, and its high expression was associated with poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. was found to be widely involved in cell cycle processes, apoptosis, apoptosis signaling pathways, immune responses, and responses to interferon. Knock-down of expression inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion . Moreover, () was found to be co-expressed with , and there was a positive correlation between these molecules in pancreatic cancer cells.

Conclusions: This report suggested that has a critical role in the progression and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. These findings provide novel insights into the role of in the functional network of pancreatic cancer, and suggest that may be a potential therapeutic target.