Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) as a prognostic biomarker in multiple tumors and its therapeutic potential in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

Background: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a cell surface serine protease, plays roles in tumor invasion and immune regulation. However, there is currently no pan-cancer analysis of FAP. Objective: We aimed to assess the pan-cancer expression profile of FAP, its molecular function, and its potential role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC).

Methods: We analyzed gene expression, survival status, immune infiltration, and molecular functional pathways of FAP in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) tumors. Furthermore, to elucidate the role of FAP in HNSC, we performed proliferation, migration, and invasion assays post-FAP overexpression or knock-down.

Results: FAP expression was elevated in nine tumor types and was associated with poor survival in eight of them. In the context of immune infiltration, FAP expression negatively correlated with CD8+ T-cell infiltration in five tumor types and positively with regulatory T-cell infiltration in four tumor types. Our enrichment analysis highlighted FAP's involvement in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In HNSC cells, FAP overexpression activated the PI3K-Akt pathway, promoting tumor proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conversely, FAP knockdown showed inhibitory effects.

Conclusion: Our study unveils the association of FAP with poor tumor prognosis across multiple cancers and highlights its potential as a therapeutic target in HNSC.