NCAPD2 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma and promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle <i>in vitro</i>

Abstract

The pro-oncogenic effects of NCAPD2 have been extensively studied across various tumor types; however, its precise role within the context of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains elusive. This study aims to elucidate the biological functions of NCAPD2 in LUAD and unravel the underlying mechanistic pathways. Utilizing bioinformatics methodologies, we explored the differential expression of NCAPD2 between normal and tumor samples, along with its correlations with clinical-pathological characteristics, survival prognosis, and immune infiltration. In the TCGA-LUAD dataset, tumor samples demonstrated significantly elevated levels of NCAPD2 expression compared to normal samples (p < 0.001). Clinically, higher NCAPD2 expression was notably associated with advanced T, N, and M stages, pathologic stage, gender, smoking status, and diminished overall survival (OS). Moreover, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with NCAPD2 were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cell division. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that NCAPD2 expression levels were linked to the infiltration of memory B cells, naïve CD4+ T cells, activated memory CD4+ T cells, and M1 macrophages. In vitro experiments demonstrated that silencing NCAPD2 suppressed LUAD cell proliferation, migration, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cell cycle progression. In summary, NCAPD2 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker and novel therapeutic target for LUAD.