LNX1-AS2 as a Key Prognostic and Immunotherapy Response Biomarker for Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background: The role of LNX1 antisense RNA 2 (LNX1-AS2) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between LNX1-AS2 and LUAD by employing bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation.

Methods: Statistical analysis and database interrogation were utilized to assess correlations among LNX1-AS2 expression, clinical characteristics of LUAD patients, prognostic factors, regulatory networks, and immune infiltration. LNX1-AS2 expression in LUAD cell lines was quantified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Results: The study found significantly elevated levels of LNX1-AS2 expression in patients with LUAD. Furthermore, elevated LNX1-AS2 expression in LUAD patients did not significantly correlate with gender (p = 0.041) or race (p = 0.049). Importantly, high LNX1-AS2 expression levels were associated with poorer overall survival (OS, p = 0.042) and disease-specific survival (DSS, p = 0.040) in LUAD patients. Additionally, high LNX1-AS2 expression (p = 0.015) was independently correlated with OS in LUAD patients. The phenotype characterized by high LNX1-AS2 expression was also found to be enriched for asthma, allograft rejection, drug metabolism cytochrome P450, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, olfactory transduction, renin-angiotensin system, retinol metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism. A significant correlation was identified between the expression levels of LNX1-AS2 and immune infiltration in the context of LUAD. Elevated expression of LNX1-AS2 was notably detected in LUAD cell lines as opposed to Beas-2B.

Conclusion: A noteworthy relationship was established among increased LNX1-AS2 expression in LUAD patients, unfavorable prognosis, and heightened immune infiltration. These findings suggest that the LNX1-AS2 gene could serve as a valuable prognostic indicator for LUAD and a potential predictor of response to immunotherapy.