Systematic analysis of ZDHHC9 as a potential prognostic and immunotherapy biomarker in breast cancer

作者：Desheng Zhou, Zhenpeng Wu, Yachao Cui, Doudou Wang, Hejun Song, Jun Chen, Hong Lin · 发表于：Frontiers in Immunology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fimmu.2025.1609621 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis、Cancer, Lipids, and Metabolism、Immune cells in cancer

Background Breast cancer (BC) represents a highly heterogeneous malignancy and continues to be a leading source of death among women worldwide. Enhancing diagnostic and therapeutic approaches necessitates a thorough grasp of the underlying molecular pathways and the identification of dependable biomarkers. Although palmitoyl transferases, particularly ZDHHC9, have been associated with the progression of various cancers, their specific role in BC remains incompletely understood. Methods In this investigation, TCGA and GTEx databases were utilized to analyze the expression patterns of ZDHHC9 and to evaluate its prognostic significance. Moreover, the regulatory pathways involving ZDHHC9 were explored via co-expression analysis and differential gene enrichment studies. Insights into ZDHHC9 expression across different cell types and its potential oncogenic pathways were derived from scRNA sequencing analysis. Additionally, immunophenoscore (IPS), EaSIeR and immunotherapy cohorts were utilized to predict immunotherapy responses. The biological significance of ZDHHC9 was verified through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results Our findings revealed that ZDHHC9 is markedly overexpressed in BC, with elevated levels of ZDHHC9 being correlated with poor survival outcomes, suggesting its role as an independent risk factor in BC. Furthermore, high ZDHHC9 expression was found to be associated with multiple immune cell types within BC. Notably, patients exhibiting lower ZDHHC9 expression ...