NNMT Is an Immune-Related Prognostic Biomarker That Modulates the Tumor Microenvironment in Pan-Cancer

Abstract

Emerging evidence has revealed the significant roles of nicotinamide n-methyltransferase (NNMT) in cancer initiation, development, and progression; however, a pan-cancer analysis of NNMT has not been conducted. In this study, we first thoroughly investigated the expression and prognostic significance of NNMT and the relationship between NNMT and the tumor microenvironment using bioinformatic analysis. NNMT was significantly increased and associated with poor prognosis in many common cancers. NNMT expression correlated with the infiltration levels of cancer-associated fibroblasts and macrophages in pan-cancer. Function enrichment analysis discovered that NNMT related to cancer-promoting and immune pathways in various common cancers, such as colon adenocarcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, and stomach adenocarcinoma. NNMT expression was positively correlated with tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), especially M2-like TAMs. The results suggest that NNMT might be a new biomarker for immune infiltration and poor prognosis in cancers, providing new direction on therapeutics of cancers.