Down-regulated CLDN10 Predicts Favorable Prognosis and Correlates With Immune Infiltration in Gastric Cancer

Abstract Background: CLDN10, an important component of the tight junctions of epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in a variety of tumors. The effect of CLDN10 expression in gastric cancer, however, has yet to be elucidated.Methods: Differential expression of CLDN10 was evaluated using Oncomine, ULCAN, and TIMER2.0 databases. Correlations between CLDN10 expression and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer were explored by Kaplan-Meier Plotter. The correlations between CLDN10 expression and immune cell infiltration and somatic copy number mutation (SCNA) in gastric cancer were explored by TIMER2.0 and GEPIA2.0.Results: CLDN10 expression was lower in gastric cancer compared to adjacent normal tissues, and associated with better prognosis. CLDN10 also showed significant differences at different T stages, Lauren classification, treatments and HER2 status. Low expression of CLDN10 was associated with increased infiltration levels of certain immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, it was found that different somatic copy number changes (SCNA) in CLDN10 might affect the level of immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, the expression of CLDN10 was significantly associated with the expression of several immune cell markers, especially B cell markers, follicular helper T cell (Tfh) markers and T cell exhaustion markers.Conclusion: CLDN10 may act as a potential prognostic biomarker and correlate to immune infiltration levels in gastric cancer.