PD-L1 correlated gene expression profiles and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Objective: To study the expression and clinical value of PD-L1 gene in pancreatic cancer, and to predict the role of PD-L1 gene in the development of pancreatic cancer. Methods: The pancreatic cancer datasets were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Oncomine to obtain the PD-L1 gene expression profile and clinical information. Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the correlation between the expression level of PD-L1 gene in pancreatic cancer and clinicopathological indicators, as well as its influence on prognosis. GSEA and WGCNA analysis was performed to predict the possible pathways of PD-L1 gene regulation in pancreatic cancer. TIMER and MCP-counter were used for PD-L1 with immune infiltration. The genes interact with PD-L1 were also investigated by STING and immunoco-precipitation combined with mass spectrometry analysis (IP-MS). Results: In TCGA database, the overall survival of patients with high expression of PD-L1 gene was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression of PD-L1 gene (χ2 = 12.52, P < 0.001). The samples with high expression of PD-L1 gene showed enrichment of 8 pathways including toll-like receptor signaling pathway and NOD receptor signaling pathway (P < 0.01, FDR < 0.05). Immune infiltration analysis suggested that PD-L1 were associated with monocytic lineage (r = 0.5). The proteins interacting with PD-L1 are mainly concentrated in RNA binding, ribosome, spliceosome and other biological processes or pathways. Conclusion: PD-L1 gene may play an important role in the development of pancreatic cancer and is expected to be a prognostic indicator of pancreatic cancer.