Prognostic role and therapeutic implications of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein cytoplasmic 1 in primary prostate cancer

Abstract

Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein cytoplasmic 1 (PITPNC1) has been implicated in some tumor types, but its role in primary prostate cancer (PCa) remains unexplored. This study investigates the prognostic significance of PITPNC1 in PCa. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), mutation data and clinical information on PCa cohorts were retrieved from the The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Data analysis revealed that PITPNC1 expression was significantly lower in PCa tissues compared to benign tissues, and this reduced expression correlated with earlier biochemical recurrence and decreased overall survival. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that PITPNC1 activates pathways related to cell adhesion and immune receptor signaling while inhibiting RNA metabolism pathways. Additionally, high Tumor Protein P53 (TP53) mutation frequency was observed in the low PITPNC1 expression group. In immunotherapy cohorts, lower PITPNC1 expression was associated with poorer outcomes. Furthermore, Rucaparib was identified as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with low PITPNC1 expression. Collectively, we identified PITPNC1 as a promising prognostic marker in PCa. Its expression levels can predict immunotherapy responses, and it holds potential as a target for precision therapies.

Keywords

• prostate cancer
• pitpnc1
• biochemical recurrence
• tp53
• immunotherapy