Elevated Expression of PDZD11 Is Associated With Poor Prognosis and Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Epithelial cells are held together by tight and adherent junctions, which are destroyed by the activation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The PLEKHA7-PDZD11 complex has been reported to be important for epithelial cell adhesion and connecting tissues. However, there is no research regarding the expression and role of PDZD11 in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) progression. Here, we analyzed PDZD11 mRNA expression and its clinical results in LIHC patient RNA sequencing data based on different open databases. Furthermore, we examined differences in PDZD11 expression in LIHC tissues and cell lines using western blotting and real-time qPCR. These results are the first to report that the mRNA and protein levels of PDZD11 are significantly overexpressed in LIHC. Moreover, high expression of PDZD11 was correlated with poor overall survival in patients with LIHC. Gene regulatory network analysis suggested that PDZD11 is mainly involved in copper ion homeostasis, proteasome, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Interestingly, we found that PDZD11 levels were positively correlated with the abundance of immune infiltrates. In particular, higher infiltration levels of CD4+ T cells and macrophage subsets significantly affected LIHC patient prognosis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PDZD11 could be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in LIHC.