The prognostic and immune significance of SLAMF9 in pan-cancer and validation of its role in colorectal cancer

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

Systematic pan-cancer analysis evaluates SLAMF9 expression and its clinical relevance, showing elevated SLAMF9 across multiple tumor tissues and reduced patient survival in most malignancies. SLAMF9 levels correlate with immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor mutation burden, microsatellite instability, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition scores. Functional experiments indicate that SLAMF9 knockdown suppresses colorectal cancer cell proliferation, motility, and invasion, and SLAMF9 inhibition restrains tumor growth in a nude mouse xenograft model, supporting SLAMF9 as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Materials and methods

Data source and processing

Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA)

Molecular biology verification in colorectal cancer (CRC)

[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports) OPEN The prognostic and immune significance of SLAMF9 in pan‑cancer and validation of its role in colorectal cancer Chunmei Zhao1,4, Xingjia Zhu2,4, Huimin Liu3,4, Qingyu Dong2, Jing Sun2, Baolan Sun1, Guihua Wang1* & Xudong Wang1* SLAMF9, a member of the conserved lymphocyte activation molecules family (SLAMF), has been less investigated compared to other SLAMs, especially concerning its implications across various cancer types. In our systematic pan‑cancer investigation, we observed elevated SLAMF9 expression in various tumor tissues, which was correlated with reduced patient survival across most malignancies. Correlation analyses further revealed significant associations between SLAMF9 expression and immune cell infiltrates, immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor mutation load, microsatellite instability, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) scores. Cell‑based assays demonstrated that SLAMF9 knockdown attenuated the proliferative, motile, and invasive capacities of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. In a nude mouse xenograft model, suppression of SLAMF9 expression substantially inhibited tumor growth. These findings highlight the potential of SLAMF9 as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker across tumors, with notable implications for CRC cell proliferation and migration. Keywords SLAMF9, Immune, Cell proliferation, Cell migration, Prognosis Malignant tumors have emerged as a significant threat to human life and health, with a notable surge in both incidence and mortality rates over recent decades. This alarming trend has been attributed to various factors, including genetic predispositions, exposure to external agents such as chemical, physical and biological carcinogens, and alterations in lifestyle habits1,2. Regrettably, effective treatments for cancer remain elusive. Recent advances in cancer research have highlighted the utility of pan-cancer analysis, particularly in light of the continuous improvements and expansion of public databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) . Through such analyses, researchers can identify novel therapeutic targets by assessing gene expression patterns across diverse cancer types and assessing their associations with clinical prognosis3–5. The signaling lymphocyte activating molecule (SLAM) family comprises receptors unique to hematopoietic cells6. This family can be categorized into two groups based on their cytoplasmic signaling motif: classical and non-classical7. Classical SLAM family members, such as SLAMF1-7, typically possess two to four immunoreceptor tyrosine switch motifs (ITSMs), which facilitate the recruitment of molecules with SH2 domains, including the SLAM-associated protein (SAP) and other phosphatases. These receptors play important roles in various immunological processes, such as NK-T cell formation, NK cell activation, and follicular T helper cell differentiation8,9. SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 are the most frequently studied non-classical SLAM family members10. Unlike traditional SLAMF receptors, they lack signaling elements in their short cytoplasmic tail. These receptors are selectively expressed by various myeloid cells, including neutrophils, dendritic cells (DCs), and macrophages. SLAMF9, a member of the conserved lymphocyte activation molecules family, has been relatively underexplored in malignancy research compared to other SLAM family members. The SLAMF9 gene (also known as CD2F10, SF2001, CD84H) is located outside the SLAM locus7. Specifically, the transcript of SLAMF9 is predominantly present in fringe monocytes and human monocyte-determined DCs. However, studies on SLAMF9 have typically focused on individual or small subsets of cancer types, lacking comprehensive comparisons across different 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong City 226001, Jiangsu Province, China. 2Medical School of Nantong University, Affiliated Hospital o

FAQs

What does SLAMF9 expression indicate across different cancers?

Elevated SLAMF9 expression is observed across various tumor tissues and is associated with reduced patient survival in most malignancies.

How is SLAMF9 linked to the tumor immune environment?

SLAMF9 expression shows significant associations with immune cell infiltrates, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and immune-related measures such as tumor mutation load and microsatellite instability.

What experimental evidence supports SLAMF9’s role in colorectal cancer?

Cell-based assays show that SLAMF9 knockdown attenuates colorectal cancer cell proliferation, motility, and invasion, and nude mouse xenograft experiments demonstrate reduced tumor growth when SLAMF9 expression is suppressed.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Noah