AFAP1L1 is indicative for a grim prognosis and immune microenvironment in gastric cancer

The biological role of the actin filament associated protein 1 like 1(AFAP1L1) has been investigated in human malignancies, but its function in gastric cancer (GC) is unclear. This research sought to elucidate more about AFAP1L1's biological function in GC and its prognostic relevance by analyzing its expression profiles and prognostic significance using bioinformatic and immunohistochemical analysis based on large-scale databases and clinical samples. The comparative analysis of normal and tumor tissues indicated that the latter had elevated levels of AFAP1L1 expression level, which was linked to dismal survival in GC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that elevated AFAP1L1 expression was an independent factor for poor prognosis in GC patients. Functional enrichment analysis including GO, KEGG and GSEA illustrated that AFAP1L1 could act as an oncogene by regulating gene expression in essential functions and pathways of tumorigenesis, such as cell junction, protein kinase activity, angiogenesis-associated pathways, and immune response-associated pathways. Furthermore, immune cell infiltration results showed that AFAP1L1 was associated with the immune infiltration of macrophages and their polarization. In addition, AFAP1L1 was negatively related to the sensitivity of chemotherapy drug oxaliplatin, while positively with dabrafenib, indicating that AFAP1L1 could be used as a predictive marker of the curative effect of GC patients. In conclusion, AFAP1L1 may be employed as a diagnostic and prognostic biological marker, and it also offers more in-depth insights into the establishment of therapies and prognoses in GC individuals.