RUVBL1 Influences Immune Infiltration and Prognosis of Patients with Colon Adenocarcinoma

INTRODUCTION: RuvB-like protein 1 (RUVBL1) has been reported to be associated with tumor progression in various cancers. However, its role in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) remains poorly understood. METHODS: RUVBL1 mRNA and protein expression in COAD were analyzed using the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and UALCAN databases, respectively. The prognostic value of RUVBL1 was assessed based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-COAD datasets. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescence, and western blot assays were performed to confirm RUVBL1 expression levels in COAD and normal colon samples. RUVBL1-related genes in the TCGA-COAD datasets were identified using Spearman's correlation analysis, and RUVBL1-related immunomodulators were identified through the Tumor and Immune System Interaction Database (TISIDB). These genes and immunomodulators were subjected to functional enrichment analysis. Immune infiltration analysis was conducted to explore the association between RUVBL1 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in COAD. The methylation status of RUVBL1 and its prognostic significance were analyzed using the MethSurv database. RESULTS: Analysis of the GEPIA2 and UALCAN databases revealed that RUVBL1 expression was upregulated in COAD. Prognostic analysis indicated that RUVBL1 is a risk factor for poor survival in COAD patients. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that RUVBL1 expression was higher in COAD samples compared to normal colon tissues. Functional enrichment analysis showed that RUVBL1-related genes and immunomodulators were primarily involved in immune and methylation-related processes. Immune infiltration analysis demonstrated that RUVBL1 expression was associated with 17 tumor-infiltrating immune cell types and negatively correlated with immune-related scores in COAD. Methylation analysis using the MethSurv database identified two RUVBL1 CpG sites that significantly influence the prognosis of COAD patients. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that increased RUVBL1 expression is associated with poor prognosis and altered immune infiltration in COAD patients. RUVBL1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for COAD.