Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Analysis Identifies LINC00942 as a Multifunctional lncRNA Involved in Tumor Progression, Immune Regulation, and Chemoresistance.
Abstract
Background
This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns, immunological functions, and prognostic value of LINC00942 across multiple cancer types, and to further examine its role in chemoresistance.
Methods
LINC00942 expression and its diagnostic and prognostic significance were analyzed across 33 cancer types using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEX) databases. Correlations between LINC00942 expression and genomic alterations, epigenetic regulation, tumor microenvironment, and drug response were evaluated. The correlation between LINC00942 and clinical outcomes was evaluated. LINC00942-coexpressed genes and interacting proteins were identified. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to annotate key signaling pathways regulated by LINC00942.
Results
LINC00942 is significantly upregulated in most cancer types, and high LINC00942 expression is associated with unfavorable overall survival in several cancer types. An increasing trend of LINC00942 amplification was observed in multiple cancers (e.g., uterine carcinosarcoma [UCS], ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma [OSC], and testicular germ cell tumors [TGCTs]). High LINC00942 copy number variations (CNVs) are associated with poor patient survival in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), and thymoma (THYM). LINC00942 is negatively correlated with TH1/NKT cells and positively with TH2 cells across tumors. LINC00942 expression exhibits a negative correlation with target gene promoter methylation, indicating its potential epigenetic regulatory role. In addition, LINC00942 may serve as a promising therapeutic target to overcome resistance to HDAC inhibitors, docetaxel, paclitaxel, and carboplatin. Elesclomol and torin 2 hold potential as LINC00942-targeting anticancer agents.
Conclusion
LINC00942 plays an important role in tumor development and progression in various cancers. It has the potential to act as a prognostic biomarker and a candidate therapeutic target deserving further exploration.