Cluster of Differentiations 73 (CD73)/ecto-5'-nucleotidase (NT5E) is a novel type of immune molecular marker expressed on many tumor cells and involved in regulating the essential immune functions and affecting the prognosis of cancer patients. However, it is not clear how the NT5E is linked to the infiltration levels of the immune cells in pan-cancer patients and their final prognosis. This study explores the role of NT5E in 33 tumor types using GEPIA, TIMER, Oncomine, BioGPS databases, and several bioinformatic tools. The findings reveal that the NT5E is abnormally expressed in a majority of the types of cancers and can be used for determining the prognosis prediction ability of different cancers. Moreover, NT5E is significantly related to the infiltration status of numerous immune cells, immune-activated pathways, and immunoregulator expressions. Last, specific inhibitor molecules, like NORNICOTINE, AS-703026, and FOSTAMATINIB, which inhibit the expression of NT5E in various types of cancers, are screened with the CMap. Thus, it is proposed that NT5E can be utilized as a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of cancer patients and determining the infiltration of various immune cells in different types of cancers.
Keywords: ecto-5'-nucleotidase; immune checkpoints; immune infiltration; immunotherapy; prognosis.
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