SMG7-AS1 as a prognostic biomarker and predictor of immunotherapy responses for skin cutaneous melanoma

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is the most life-threatening skin cancer and lacks early detection and effective treatment strategies. Many long noncoding RNAs are associated with the development of tumors and may serve as potential immunotherapeutic targets. In this study, microarray analysis was performed to screen for differentially expressed lncRNAs between SKCM and normal tissues, and SMG7-AS1 was identified as an upregulated lncRNA in SKCM. Subsequently, bioinformatic analysis revealed that dysregulation of SMG7-AS1 influences metastasis and immune infiltration. qRT-PCR of clinical samples demonstrated that the expression of SMG7-AS1 was higher in melanoma tissues. Flow cytometry showed that SMG7-AS1 plays a vital role in the cell cycle. Additionally, SMG7-AS1 was found to be associated with immunotherapy responses. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report that SMG7-AS1 is associated with SKCM and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and predictor of immunotherapy responses in SKCM.