GYS2 is correlated with immune infiltration and prognostic outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abnormal expression of glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2) has been linked to tumorigenesis. However, there is currently a scarcity of reports on the relationship between GYS2 expression and its potential as prognostic factors (PFs) and its link to immune cell infiltration (ICI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, bio-informatics methods were applied to determine the potential correlation between GYS2 expression and ICI in tumor tissues, as well as its prognostic value in HCC. The findings displayed that GYS2 expression in cancerous tissues was reduced compared to normal tissue. Additionally, it was found that low expression of GYS2 was associated with decreased disease specific survival (DSS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates in HCC patients. Moreover, both Cox univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that GYS2 expression and pM-stage as independent PFs of OS in HCC patients. Co-expression network revealed that GYS2 exhibited crucial functions in metabolic processes, fatty acid breakdown and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Finally, negative correlations of GYS2 expression with tumor ICI of DC cells, exhausted T cells, M1 macrophages, TAMs, B cells, CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells, as well as immune checkpoint molecules (CTLA4, PDCD1, LGALS9) and immunomodulatory factor TGFβ were observed. These findings propose GYS2 as a promising standalone prognostic indicator for HCC patient assessment and risk stratification, and suggest its involvement in ICI, which could influence the response to immunotherapy in HCC.