Bioinformatic analysis of COL10A1 expression correlates with poor prognosis and immune infiltration in pancreatic cancer

Abstract Background Collagen type X alpha 1 (COL10A1) is a structural component of the extracellular matrix that is aberrantly expressed in a variety of cancer tissues. However, its role in pancreatic cancer progression is not well understood. Methods TCGA, GEO, and GEPIA data were employed to explore the expression of COL10A1 in normal and tumor tissues and its prognostic value in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The clinical data of pancreatic cancer in TCGA were used to explore the relationship between COL10A1 and clinical features. Genes co-expressed with COL10A1 were explored using multiple databases and analyzed for functional enrichment. In addition, the lncRNA-miRNA-COL10A1 axis that may be involved in COL10A1 regulation in pancreatic cancer was explored by constructing a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory axis. Finally, COL10A1 was analyzed for correlation with immune cell infiltration and various immune checkpoint molecules in pancreatic cancer to explore the mechanisms that may affect prognosis. Results It was found that the expression of COL10A1 was significantly increased in pancreatic cancer tissues. High expression of COL10A1 was related to the clinicopathological characteristics and the worse prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients. The role of COL10A1 in promoting pancreatic cancer progression may be mediated by the TUG1/miR-144-3p/COL10A1 axis. Besides, in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the expression level of COL10A1 showed a significant positive correlation with tumor immune cell infiltration, biomarkers of immune cells, and expression of immune checkpoint molecules. Conclusion In this article, with the help of many bioinformatics techniques, we conclude that TUG1/miR-144-3p/COL10A1 axis is associated with immune infiltration of pancreatic cancer and leads to poor prognosis. COL10A1 is an early diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.