Systematic Analysis of the Expression Profile and Prognostic Significance of the IGF2BP Family in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the most common type of lung cancer associated with poor prognosis, has become a major health problem. IGF2BPs are types of N6-methyladenosine reader proteins, comprising IGF2BP1, IGF2BP2, and IGF2BP3, that promote LUAD progression. However, the expression profiles and prognostic value of IGF2BPs in LUAD remain unclear.This study aimed to analyze the expression profiles and prognostic significance of the IGF2BP family in lung adenocarcinoma.In this study, we included tissue data of LUAD patients and normal or para-carcinoma from the TCGA database and the GTEx project. Using survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox proportional hazards model, we analyzed the expression profiles and prognostic significance of the IGF2BP family.Patients with high expression levels of IGF2BPs showed a significant association with poor overall survival (p < 0.05). Moreover, the somatic mutation rates of IGF2BP1, IGF2BP2, and IGF2BP3 were determined as 2.65, 1.59, and 1.76%, respectively, by investigating the genetic mutation. In addition, there were significant associations between TMB and IGF2BP family expression profiles, which positively correlated with the expression of PD-1 (p < 0.05). Cox proportional hazard model for LUAD showed the risk score for IGF2BP1, p-TNM stage, and so forth, all independent prognostic indicators for LUAD patients. Finally, the co-expression genes were obtained to build a PPI network and analyze the hub genes of the IGF2BP family.Our study provides further insights into the role of the IGF2BP family in LUAD and identifies 10 genes that may be associated with IGF2BPs in LUAD patients.