Comprehensive analysis of AK4 as a potential biomarker and analysis and validation of lung adenocarcinoma

Adenylate kinase 4 (AK4) is a member of the adenylate kinase family and has been implicated in carcinogenesis in several types of cancer. However, a systematic pan-cancer analysis of AK4 has not yet been conducted. In this study, we examined the expression and prognostic significance of AK4 in human cancers, focusing on its role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We analyzed AK4 expression levels and prognosis in various cancers using online bioinformatics databases. Furthermore, we confirmed the biological characteristics of AK4 in LUAD through in vitro cell experiments. Our results suggest that AK4 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for various cancers, particularly LUAD. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that AK4 is associated with autophagy, cell apoptosis, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in LUAD. In cell experiments, we observed that knocking down AK4 in HCC827 cells inhibited growth, proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, and EMT while promoting autophagy. In summary, our study suggests that AK4 may represent a promising prognostic factor and a novel biomarker for LUAD.