Decoding the Expressions, Immune Relevance, and Prognostic Values of Ferroptosis Gene TMEM189: A Pan-cancer Analysis

BACKGROUND: TMEM189 is a recently discovered transmembrane protein involved in ether glycerophospholipid synthesis and ferroptosis regulation. However, its role in tumors is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to elucidate the oncogenic effects and prognostic values of TMEM189 in tumors. METHODS: We performed a pan-cancer analysis of TMEM189 using various databases, bioinformatics and statistical tools, and tissue microarray analysis. RESULTS: TMEM189 was upregulated in tumors compared to normal tissues. High TMEM189 expression was found to be linked to reduced promoter methylation. Moreover, TMEM189 exhibited a negative correlation with immunogenic markers, immune cell infiltration, and expression of Immune Checkpoint Genes (ICGs) in most cancers, implicating its immunosuppressive role in tumor microenvironments (TME). The genes that interact and are similar to TMEM189 were involved in hotspot signaling pathways in pan-cancer. TMEM189 overexpression was found to be usually associated with poor prognosis, especially an independent prognostic risk factor for BLCA, BRCA, LUAD, MESO, LIHC, and SKCM. CONCLUSION: TMEM189 is overexpressed and exerts immunosuppressive effects in many tumors with a significant association with poor prognosis, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target in cancer treatment.