Prognostic Value and Mechanism of Antibody‐Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity‐Related Gene, <i>NEU1</i> , in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance and molecular mechanisms of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity-related genes (ADCC-RGs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Transcriptomic data sets and clinicopathological characteristics of OSCC cohorts were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Subsequently, ADCC-RGs related to prognosis were screened. Prognostic ADCC-RGs were identified using Cox regression and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analyses and validated using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Tumor immune cell infiltration analysis, chemotherapy drug analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and immunotherapy response prediction were conducted. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to assess the expression of model genes in clinical specimens, with parallel functional assays to evaluate the biological effects of key genes on OSCC cells. The novel nine-gene ADCC-RG risk stratification framework demonstrated robust predictive accuracy. The analysis indicated significant differences between the risk groups in terms of tumor immune invasion, chemotherapy drugs, GSEA, and immunotherapy response. Expression trends of the nine ADCC-RGs were verified in clinical samples. Low neuraminidase 1 (NEU1) expression inhibited CAL-27 and HSC-4 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion (all p < 0.05). In this study, a high-predictive-value prognostic model for OSCC was constructed based on nine ADCC-related genes; NEU1 was identified as a potential therapeutic target.