A Pan-Cancer Analysis of the Oncogenic and Immunogenic Role of m6Am Methyltransferase PCIF1

Background: Phosphorylated CTD-interacting factor 1 (PCIF1) is identified as the only known methyltransferase of N6,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) in mRNA. However, its oncogenic and immunogenic role in cancer research is at an initial stage.

Methods: Herein, we carried out a pan-cancer analysis of PCIF1, with a series of datasets (e.g., TIMER2.0, GEPIA2, cBioPortal).

Results: PCIF1 expression was higher in most cancers than normal tissues and was discrepant across pathological stages. Highly expressed PCIF1 was positively correlated with overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) of some tumors. PCIF1 expression had a positive correlation with CD4⁺ T-cell infiltration in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), CD8⁺ T cells, macrophages, and B cells in thyroid carcinoma (THCA), and immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) in LIHC but a negative correlation with CD4⁺ T cells, neutrophils, myeloid dendritic cells, and ICGs in THCA. It also affected tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) of most tumors.

Conclusion: PCIF1 expression was correlated with cancer prognosis and immune infiltration, suggesting it to be a potential target for cancer therapy.