Prognostic role of YBX1 and its correlation with immune infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

The current immunotherapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been overall unsatisfactory. The Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1) functions as an oncogene in several cancers, and is associated with the infiltration of specific immune cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of YBX1 in the prognosis and immune infiltration of HCC. YBX1 expression data of various cancers was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. YBX1 expression and its influence on tumor prognosis were analyzed by online database like Kaplan-Meier plotter. The correlation between YBX1 expression and immune infiltration was evaluated using the TIMER and TISIDB databases and confirmed by immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore, the relationship between the expression of YBX1 and the response to immunotherapy was analyzed by using 12 conversion therapy specimens. YBX1 was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared to the adjacent normal tissues, and also correlated with the clinicopathological parameters in HCC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a negative correlation between YBX1 expression level and overall survival (OS) of HCC patients. Additionally, we also observed a significant positive correlation between YBX1 expression and the infiltration of CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes in HCC tissues. Patients with low YBX1 RNA expression had better objective response rate through mRECIST criteria after immunotherapy. These findings demonstrate that elevated YBX1 expression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in HCC and correlates with the tumor infiltration of immune cells.