Pan-cancer analysis of DLAT reveals it as a prognostic Biomarker involved in immune infiltration of liver hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase (DLAT) is one of the cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs). Increasing evidence suggests that DLAT plays a critical role in various cancers. However, information about its functions and potential mechanisms in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still limited. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis were used to evaluate the potential association of DLAT expression with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, clinical features, survival prognosis, biological functions, immune infiltration, and immune checkpoint molecules (ICM) in tumor patients. In addition, the expression of DLAT in HCC tissues was verified using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: The aberrant expression of DLAT had a significant impact on the prognosis of patients with various tumors. Importantly, DLAT expression was strongly associated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint molecules (ICM) in tumors. For the first time, we found a significant positive correlation between DLAT expression and m6A regulatory factors in liver cancer, and that DLAT is associated with the PLK1 pathway, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, Notch signaling pathway, WNT signaling pathway, and Aurora B pathway. Conclusions: Our results showed a significant increase in DLAT expression in HCC. Furthermore, the prognosis of patients with high DLAT expression was poor. Importantly, DLAT was correlated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint molecules in HCC patients. Together, our results indicate that DLAT represents a promising therapeutic target for HCC patients.