Multi-omics approach reveals influenza-A virus target genes associated genomic, clinical and immunological characteristics in cancers

Abstract

Abstract Influenza A virus has been shown to be closely linked to diverse malignancies and may work as an oncovirus. However, the specific role of influenza A virus as well as its target genes in cancer initiation and progression remain unclear. Thus, in this study, a comprehensive evaluation of influenza A virus target genes (IATGs) was performed in thirty-three tumor types by using multi-omics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) databases. In the genomic landscape, a high frequency of genetic and epigenetic alterations in the IATGs were found and subsequently affected tumor progression. Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of IATGs was differentially expressed in diverse tumors and could be used to predict clinical survival in patients. In addition, IATGs were also closely associated with cancer-related signaling pathways as well as the immune microenvironment. Furthermore, the involvement of IATGs in the regulation of the resistance of anti-cancer drugs was uncovered. The transcript expression of six identified IATGs in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) was validated by qRT-PCR. In conclusion, this study revealed the genomic alterations and clinical features of IATGs, which may provide new hints for exploring the potential molecular mechanisms between tumors and the influenza A virus. This will also provide new clues for developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies such as viral immunotherapy, promoting the discovery of tumor-related viruses, and designing individualized treatment for tumor patients.