Comprhensive Pan-cancer Analysis of MEX3A Gene and Its Related Mechanism

Abstract Objective Cancer remains a significant global health challenge with a high mortality rate. MEX3A is implicated in tumor development and progression by regulating cell proliferation and migration. This study aims to elucidate the impact of MEX3A expression on osteosarcoma and unravel the pathogenic mechanisms of MEX3A in pan-cancer. Methods A pan-cancer analysis of MEX3A was performed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The study examined MEX3A expression differences, the relationship between expression levels and patient survival, genetic alterations, immune infiltration, and associated cellular pathways to understand MEX3A's roles and underlying mechanisms in cancer pathogenesis and prognosis. Results The analysis results of different datasets showed that low MEX3A expression was associated with an inferior prognosis in leukemia (LAML), while high MEX3A expression was associated with poorer prognosis in adrenocortical cancer (ACC), kidney chromophobe (KICH), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), mesothelioma (MESO), pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCPG), sarcoma (SARC), thyroid carcinoma (THCA), and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). The expression of MEX3A was positively correlates with all six immune cell types infiltration in ACC, SARC, and THCA. MEX3A expression has a negative correlation with monocyte and M1 macrophage infiltration in SARC, whereas a positive correlation was observed with M0 macrophages, plasma B cells, and naive B cells. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient results indicated a positive correlation between MEX3A expression and TMB in thymoma (THYM), BRCA, KICH, LAML, LUAD, and PRAD, while a negative correlation was observed in UCS, COAD, and esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). The correlation between MEX3A expression and MSI revealed a positive correlation with UVM, BLCA, CESC, KICH, LIHC, and LUSC, while a negative correlation with MSI was observed in COAD, lymphoid neoplasm diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBC), BRCA, LUAD, and LAML. MEX3A expression is positively correlated with five DNA repair genes in non-Hodgkin's squamous cell carcinoma (NHSC), KIRP, LUAD, OV, PRAD, and UCEC, with a high level of significance. And in SARC, MEX3A expression showed a strong correlation with MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 and a moderate correlation with EPCAM. Enrichment analysis showed that MEX3A was highly expressed in the SPLICEOSOME, AMINOACYL-tRNA BIOSYNTHESIS, ASTHMA, COMPLEMENT AND COAGULATION CASCADES, INTESTINAL IMMUNE NETWORK FOR IgA PRODUCTION, and AUTOIMMUNE THYROID DISEASE pathways. Conclusion Elevated MEX3A expression correlates with poor prognosis in osteosarcoma, breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), underscoring its potential as a prognostic marker in these cancers.