UBE2V2 Positively Correlates With PD-L1 Expression and Confers Poor Patient Survival in Lung Adenocarcinoma

This research aims to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 variant 2 (UBE2V2) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The expression of UBE2V2 in clinical specimens was evaluated by bioinformatics analyses and immunohistochemistry. Bioinformatics analyses relying on the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database suggested the elevated UBE2V2 mRNA levels in LUAD in comparison to adjacent normal tissues. Gene set enrichment analyses and gene ontology term enrichment analyses further showed the involvement of UBE2V2 in the modulation of cell cycle and immune associated signaling. The correlation analyses in TCGA LUAD data set revealed the positive correlation between UBE2V2 and CCNE1, CCNE2, CCNA2, CCNB1, CCNB2, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)2, CDK4, and CDK1 at the mRNA level. Moreover, UBE2V2 mRNA levels were positively correlated with PD-L1 mRNA levels, the T classification, and poor survival of LUAD patients, and were negatively correlated with type II interferon response. Consistent with the results obtained from TCGA data mining, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that UBE2V2 protein levels were upregulated in LUAD in comparison to normal tissues and were positively associated with T classification. Intriguingly, a positive correlation between UBE2V2 protein levels and PD-L1 expression was also elucidated in clinical samples. Besides, UBE2V2 expression indicated a poor prognosis in LUAD patients. Our study found that UBE2V2 was identified as an independent prognostic indicator for LUAD and might serve as an alternative target for LUAD treatment.