Pan-cancer transcriptomic analysis reveals HSPB8 as a prognostic and immunological biomarker in colorectal cancer

Abstract Background Heat shock protein B8 (HSPB8) is implicated in autophagy, and its aberrant expression has been linked to both the initiation and progression of tumors. However, the role and function of HSPB8 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and across multiple cancer types remain unclear. This study aimed to map the transcriptome of autophagy-related genes in CRC and to conduct a pan-cancer analysis of HSPB8 as both a prognostic and immunological biomarker. Methods We performed bioinformatics analyses on GSE113513 and GSE74602 to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC. These DEGs were then compared with autophagy-related genes to identify critical overlapping genes. The Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to verify the expression of autophagy-linked DEGs and evaluate its prognostic value. The protein expression of Hub gene in CRC was analyzed using the Human Protein Atlas database. The cBioPortal was used to analyze the type and frequency of Hub gene mutations. The TIMER (Tumor Immune Estimation Resource) database was used to study the correlation between HSPB8 and immune infiltration in CRC. Results In total, 825 DEGs were identified, including 8 autophagy-linked DEGs: ATIC , MYC , HSPB8 , TNFSF10 , BCL2 , TP53INP2 , ITPR1 , and NKX2-3 . Survival analysis showed that increased HSPB8 expression significantly correlates with poor prognosis in patients with CRC ( p < 0.05). HSPB8 was also found to be differentially expressed in various cancer types, correlating with both prognosis and immune infiltration. Further, changes in HSPB8 methylation and phosphorylation status were observed across several cancers, suggesting potential regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, HSPB8 may serve as a crucial prognostic and immunological biomarker in CRC and other cancers. Conclusions This study provides new insights into the role of autophagy-related genes in cancer progression and highlights HSPB8 as a potential target for cancer diagnostics and therapy.