TMEM88 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlates with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Transmembrane protein 88 (TMEM88) has emerged as a newly discovered cancer-related protein that acts as a cancer-promoting or cancer-inhibiting regulator in multiple tumor types. However, the exact role of TMEM88 in liver cancer is undetermined. The current study was designed to determine the expression of TMEM88 in liver cancer. Methods: : We used data provided by public databases TCGA and GEO, analyzed them with Kaplan-Meier, TIMER and GEPIA. Results: : TMEM88 expression was significantly lower in several human cancers, but higher in liver and bile cancer, than in corresponding normal tissues. TMEM88 expression in HCC tissues correlated with prognosis. Low TMEM88 expression associated with poorer overall survival, disease-specific survival, progression-free survival, and relapse-free survival in multiple cohorts of HCC patients, particularly at late disease stages (grade 2 and 3). TMEM88 showed strong correlation with tumor-infiltrating B cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that TMEM88 is a potential prognostic biomarker that determines cancer progression and correlated with tumor immune cells infiltration in HCC.