Front Immunol. 2026 May 8;17:1742982. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1742982. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Filaggrin (FLG) plays an important role in the progression of malignant tumors; however, its expression characteristics and biological functions in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear.

METHODS: Cancer-related datasets were retrieved from public repositories, including the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed to explore potential regulatory networks involving FLG. Differential expression analysis, genetic alteration analysis, and clinicopathological and survival analyses were performed to evaluate the role of FLG in GC. In addition, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), immune infiltration analysis, and in vitro functional experiments were conducted to investigate the biological effects and potential mechanisms of FLG in GC.

RESULTS: FLG was aberrantly expressed across multiple cancer types and was significantly associated with clinical characteristics and prognosis in GC. Further analyses showed that FLG was involved in genetic alterations and was closely associated with the immune microenvironment in GC. Functional experiments demonstrated that FLG promoted the invasion and metastasis of GC cells. Mechanistically, GSEA and experimental validation indicated that FLG exerted its tumor-promoting effects, at least in part, through activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION: This study clarifies the biological role of FLG in GC and highlights its potential as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying GC progression and may contribute to the development of more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

PMID:42183248 | PMC:PMC13194527 | DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1742982

Biochem Biophys Rep. 2026 Mar 16;46:102537. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102537. eCollection 2026 Jun.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although studies have shown that the androgen receptor (AR) is associated with tumor progression and malignant regulation, its role in the tumor immune microenvironment and predictive value for prognosis and immunotherapy response in various cancer types have not been systematically analyzed.

METHODS: In this paper, multi-omics techniques was used to analyze AR comprehensively.

RESULTS: A comprehensive pan-cancer analysis revealed that the AR was expressed in a variety of tumors, especially as a risk factor for poor prognosis in gastric cancer. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the AR promotes cell proliferation and tumor cell invasion and regulates anti-tumor response. Immune score, immune cell infiltration, and anticancer immune cycle analysis showed that high AR levels were correlated with low infiltration of CD4⁺ T cells and NKT cells, high infiltration of Th2 cells and MDSCs, negatively correlated with antigen-presenting molecules, and positively correlated with various immune-negative regulatory molecules. Single-cell sequencing highlighted the heterogeneous expression of ARs in different cell types, particularly in epithelial cells, where high AR levels were associated with the enhanced activity of tumor-promoting pathways.

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of the AR as a novel biomarker for gastric cancer prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy, expanding its applicability in the development of new antitumor drugs.

PMID:41890218 | PMC:PMC13014673 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102537