Prognostic value and immune regulatory role of dynamin 1-like in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with poor treatment outcomes worldwide. Dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), which is encoded by the dynamin 1-like () gene, acts as a regulator of mitochondrial fission and plays crucial roles in tumor initiation and progression. However, the clinical value and immune regulation of in LUAD have not been explored.

Methods: We comprehensively analyzed the expression of in the LUAD cohort of the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and the University of The ALabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN) databases. Kaplan-Meier plotter, in addition to the PrognoScan database, was used to estimate the correlation between expression and survival outcome of LUAD patients. The association between the immune tumor microenvironment (TME) and expression in LUAD was evaluated based on the Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER)2.0 database. Finally, the functions of were validated experiments, including reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blot, wound healing assays, and transwell assays.

Results: was overexpressed in LUAD compared to healthy control tissues and was regarded as an independent prognostic factor. Overexpression of was significantly related to clinical variables and poor survival outcomes of LUAD patients. Moreover, expression was positively associated with the expression of key genes involved in the regulation of immune cell subsets, including T helper (Th)2 cells, Th cells, B cells, CD8 T cells, dendritic cells, and mast cells. In contrast, was negatively correlated with the infiltrating levels of myeloid dendritic cells and B cells. Furthermore, may play a role in regulating immune cell infiltration and have prognostic value in LUAD patients. Finally, the experiments showed that increased significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells.

Conclusions: This study suggested that may play an important role in regulating the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells as well as the infiltration of tumor-related immune cells, which suggests was a potential therapeutic target in LUAD. Further studies are however warranted to define its exact mechanism of action and potential therapeutic significance in LUAD patients.