Objective  To explore the expression and clinical significance of ASXL3 in prostate cancer.

Methods  The data were obtained from multiple bioinformatics databases, including TCGA, GEPIA2, STRING and TIMER. R or online tools were used to analyze the expression of ASXL3 mRNA and its association with the prognosis, clinical features, and immune cell infiltration in prostate cancer. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were conducted using ASXL3 interacting proteins or expression-related genes. The expression of ASXL3 mRNA in prostate cancer cell lines was verified by using qRT-PCR.

Results  The expression level of ASXL3 mRNA in prostate cancer tissues was significantly lower compared to normal tissues. The high expression of ASXL3 mRNA was related to the better overall survival of prostate cancer patients, and the expression of ASXL3 mRNA was positively correlated with the infiltration of various immune cells. STRING database analysis revealed potential interactions of ASXL3 with BAP1, EZH2, ASXL2, and BRD4. ASXL3 mRNA expression was significantly lower in prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, C4-2, PC-3, DU145) than normal prostate stromal cell WPMY-1.

Conclusion  ASXL3 is down-regulated in prostate cancer tissues and is associated with overall survival, which may provide a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer.

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