Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of MEX3C in human tumors

MEX3C, an RNA-binding protein implicated in cancer progression, was analyzed for its expression, genetic alterations, prognostic value, immune associations, and pathway enrichment across various cancers. Using TCGA and GTEx datasets, MEX3C expression was found elevated in multiple cancers, including BRCA, HNSC, and LUSC, while reduced in ACC and TGCT. High MEX3C expression correlated with poor overall survival (OS) in LIHC and MESO, and disease-specific survival (DSS) in PAAD and MESO, highlighting its prognostic potential. Genetic analysis revealed frequent "deep deletions" and missense mutations, particularly in PAAD and STAD. Strong associations between MEX3C and RNA modification-related genes (e.g., YTHDF3, DNMT3A) suggest its regulation via RNA modifications. Immune infiltration analysis demonstrated MEX3C's correlation with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and immune checkpoints such as CD276 and VEGFA, indicating its role in immune modulation. Additionally, MEX3C expression showed cancer-type-specific correlations with tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI), linking it to genomic instability. Enrichment analysis identified pathways such as RNA transport, spliceosome function, and endocytosis as significantly associated with MEX3C-related genes. These findings establish MEX3C as a pivotal biomarker and potential therapeutic target, warranting further investigation into its mechanistic roles in cancer progression.