Pan-cancer analysis of IFN-? with possible immunotherapeutic significance: a verification of single-cell sequencing and bulk omics research

Background Interferon-gamma (IFN-?), commonly referred to as type II interferon, is a crucial cytokine that coordinates the tumor immune process and has received considerable attention in tumor immunotherapy research. Previous studies have discussed the role and mechanisms associated with IFN-? in specific tumors or diseases, but the relevant role of IFN-? in pan-cancer remains uncertain.Methods TCGA and GTEx RNA expression data and clinical data were downloaded. Additionally, we analyzed the role of IFN-? on tumors by using a bioinformatic approach, which included the analysis of the correlation between IFN-? in different tumors and expression, prognosis, functional status, TMB, MSI, immune cell infiltration, and TIDE. We also developed a PPI network for topological analysis of the network, identifying hub genes as those having a degree greater than IFN-? levels.Result IFN-? was differentially expressed and predicted different survival statuses in a majority of tumor types in TCGA. Additionally, IFN-? expression was strongly linked to factors like infiltration of T cells, immune checkpoints, immune-activating genes, immunosuppressive genes, chemokines, and chemokine receptors, as well as tumor purity, functional statuses, and prognostic value. Also, prognosis, CNV, and treatment response were all substantially correlated with IFN-?-related gene expression. Particularly, the IFN-?-related gene STAT1 exhibited the greatest percentage of SNVs and the largest percentage of SNPs in UCEC. Elevated expression levels of IFN-?-related genes were found in a wide variety of tumor types, and this was shown to be positively linked to drug sensitivity for 20 different types of drugs.Conclusion IFN-? is a good indicator of response to tumor immunotherapy and is likely to limit tumor progression, offering a novel approach for immunotherapy's future development.