GJB3 - a comprehensive biomarker in pan-cancer prognosis and immunotherapy prediction

Sep 21, 2026

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Background, connexins participate in intercellular communication and their dysregulation often accompanies tumor development, yet GJB3 lacks systematic pan-cancer evaluation for tumor progression and anti-tumor immunity. The study integrates public expression resources to assess how GJB3 relates to tumor features, immune checkpoint signatures, and immune infiltration. Functional assays and pathway analyses evaluate biological impact, while drug-sensitivity profiling links GJB3 to therapeutic guidance and immunotherapy response.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages21

Reading Time53 min

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Abstract

Background

Methods

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Materials and Methods

[www.aging-us.com](www.aging-us.com) AGING 2024, Vol. 16, No. 9 Research Paper GJB3: a comprehensive biomarker in pan-cancer prognosis and immunotherapy prediction Jingtong Zeng1,2,*, Xianjie Li 1,2,*, Yifan Zhang1,2,*, Bo Zhang1,2, Hanqing Wang1,2, Shihao Bao1,2, Lingling Zu1,2, Hao Zhang1,2, Yuan Cheng1,2, Quanying Tang1,2, Xiaohong Xu3, Song Xu1,2, Zuoqing Song1,2 1 Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China 2Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China 3Colleges of Nursing, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China * Equal contribution Correspondence to: Zuoqing Song, Song Xu; email: [thoracic_expert@aliyun.com](thoracic_expert@aliyun.com), [https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3279-8662](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3279-8662); [xusong198@hotmail.com](xusong198@hotmail.com), [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6153-387X](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6153-387X) [Keywords:](Keywords: GJB3)[ GJB3](Keywords: GJB3) (Cx31) gene, pan-cancer, connexin, TCGA, LUAD Received: May 15, 2023 Accepted: March 29, 2024 Published: May 7, 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Zeng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. ABSTRACT Background: A wide range of connexins are situated between normal-normal cells, cancer-cancer cells, and cancer-normal cells. Abnormalities in connexin expression are typically accompanied by cancer development; however, no systematic studies have examined the role of Gap Junction Protein Beta 3 (GJB3) in the context of tumor progression and immunity, especially when considering a broad range of cancer types. Methods: In this study, data on GJB3 expression were gathered from Genotype-Tissue Expression, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. Then, we analyzed the relationship between GJB3 expression and tumor characteristics. In vitro experiments using colony formation, EdU, CCK8, transwell migration assays, Immunohistochemistry and western blot were performed to investigate the function of GJB3 in tumor progression of various cell lines. A drug sensitivity analysis of GJB3 was performed using the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database. Result: Our findings demonstrate that GJB3 is widely expressed in various cancers and correlates significantly with disease stages, patient survival, immunotherapy response, and pharmaceutical guidance. Additionally, GJB3 plays a role in different cancer pathways, as well as in different immune and molecular subtypes of cancer. Co-expression of GJB3 with immune checkpoint genes was observed. Further experiments showed that knockdown GJB3 inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway and resulted in reduced proliferation, migration, and viability of different cancer cells. Conclusion: Overall, GJB3 shows potential as a molecular biomarker and therapeutic target for various cancers, particularly lung adenocarcinomas, mesothelioma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Thus, GJB3 may represent anew therapeutic target for a wide range of cancers. INTRODUCTION Malignant tumors have always been a threat to human health, and remain a leading cause of death worldwide. Among all cancers, breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer are highly prevalent and globally acknowledged as having the highest mortality rates [1, 2] . In humans, the suppression and elimination of 7647 malignant tumors is a perennial issue; however, due to the complexity of malignant tumors, the associated clinical outcome is generally unfavorable [3] . This is attributed in large part to the absence of effective therapeutic targets to treat these tumors. The connexin family is comprised of at least 20 homologous pro

FAQs

What is the study’s main goal regarding GJB3?

To systematically evaluate GJB3 as a biomarker for pan-cancer prognosis and immunotherapy prediction, including links to tumor progression, immunity, and drug response.

Which datasets were used to analyze GJB3 expression?

GJB3 expression data were gathered from Genotype-Tissue Expression, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases.

What functional effects did GJB3 knockdown show?

Knockdown GJB3 inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway and reduced proliferation, migration, and viability of different cancer cells.

Sep 21, 2026

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