Abstract：
E2F transcription factors (E2Fs) are a group of genes that encode a family of transcription factors. They have been identified as being involved in the tumor progression of various cancer types. However, little is known about the expression level, genetic variation, molecular mechanism, and prognostic value and immune infiltration of different E2Fs in HNSCC.In this study, we utilized multiple databases to investigate the mRNA expression level, genetic alteration, and biological function of E2Fs in HNSCC patients. Then, the relationship between E2Fs expression and its association with the occurrence, progress, prognosis, and immune cell infiltration in patients with HNSCC was evaluated. We found that all eight E2Fs were higher expressed in HNSCC tissues than in normal tissues, and the expression levels of E2F1/2/3/4/5/6/8 were also associated with the stage and grade of HNSCC. The abnormal expression of E2F1/2/4/8 in HNSCC patients is related to the clinical outcome. The expression of E2Fs was statistically correlated with the immune cell infiltration in HNSCC and the infiltration of B cells and CD8+ T cells were positively associated with better OS in HNSCC patients. Furthermore, we verified the E2F2 at the tissue level in the validation experiment. Our study may provide novel insights into the choice of immunotherapy targets and potential prognostic biomarkers in HNSCC patients.
摘要：
E2F转录因子(E2F)是一组编码转录因子家族的基因。它们已被确定为参与各种癌症类型的肿瘤进展。然而,对表达水平知之甚少，遗传变异，分子机制，HNSCC中不同E2Fs的预后价值和免疫浸润。在这项研究中,我们利用多个数据库来调查mRNA表达水平，遗传改变,HNSCC患者E2Fs的生物学功能。然后，E2Fs表达及其与发生的关系，进展,预后,并评估了HNSCC患者的免疫细胞浸润。我们发现所有八个E2Fs在HNSCC组织中的表达高于正常组织，E2F1/2/3/4/5/6/8的表达水平也与HNSCC的分期和分级有关。E2F1/2/4/8在HNSCC患者中的异常表达与临床转归有关。在HNSCC患者中，E2Fs的表达与免疫细胞浸润呈统计学相关，而B细胞和CD8T细胞的浸润与较好的OS呈正相关。此外，我们在验证实验中验证了组织水平的E2F2.我们的研究可能为HNSCC患者的免疫治疗靶标和潜在预后生物标志物的选择提供新的见解。
