Prognostic biomarker SCNM1 is associated with immune infiltration and therapeutic response, and promotes tumor migration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Sodium channel modifier 1 (SCNM1) is involved in biological processes including RNA splicing and the regulation of primary cilium length; however, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unclear.The present study aimed to investigate the expression pattern, clinical relevance and functional significance of SCNM1 in HCC.Clinical and transcriptomic data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, International Cancer Genome Consortium and Gene Expression Omnibus databases.SCNM1 expression, DNA methylation status and immune infiltration characteristics were systematically analyzed.A SCNM1-related prognostic gene signature was constructed using machine learning approaches.Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation and Transwell migration assays were performed to evaluate the effects of SCNM1 knockdown on Huh1 cell proliferation, clonogenic capacity and migration, respectively.SCNM1 protein expression was also evaluated by immunohistochemistry in clinical tissue specimens obtained from 10 patients with HCC.SCNM1 was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and was associated with unfavorable survival outcomes.Immunohistochemical staining further confirmed higher SCNM1 protein expression in HCC tissues than in non-tumor liver tissues.Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that SCNM1 expression was closely associated with metabolic pathways, including oxidative phosphorylation and immune-related processes.Elevated SCNM1 expression was associated with increased estimated infiltration of immune cells, including B cells and macrophages, and positively correlated with the expression of antigen processing and presentation-related genes, including human leukocyte antigen-A, transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP)1 and TAP2.Functional experiments demonstrated that SCNM1 knockdown suppressed HCC cell proliferation, clonogenic capacity and migratory ability.In addition, the SCNM1-based prognostic model effectively stratified patients with distinct survival outcomes.In conclusion, the results indicated that SCNM1 is upregulated in HCC and is associated with poor prognosis and immune-related characteristics.The SCNM1-related prognostic model may provide a useful tool for patient risk stratification and offer insights into the clinical relevance of SCNM1 in HCC.