RARRES1 identified by comprehensive bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation as a promising biomarker in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a highly malignant form of skin cancer, known for its unfavorable prognosis and elevated mortality rate. RARRES1, a gene responsive to retinoic acid receptors, displays varied functions in various cancer types. However, the specific role and underlying mechanisms of RARRES1 in SKCM are still unclear. GSE15605 was utilized to analyze the expression of RARRES1 in SKCM. Subsequently, the TCGA and GEO databases were employed to investigate the relationships between RARRES1 and clinicopathological parameters, as well as the prognostic implications and diagnostic efficacy of RARRES1 in SKCM. GO, KEGG, and GSEA analyses were conducted to explore the potential functions of RARRES1. Furthermore, the associations between RARRES1 and immune infiltration were examined. Genomic alterations and promoter methylation levels of RARRES1 in SKCM were assessed using cBioPortal, UALCAN, and the GEO database. Finally, RARRES1 expression in SKCM was validated through immunohistochemistry, and its functional role in SKCM progression was elucidated via in vivo and in vitro experiments. We found that RARRES1 was downregulated in SKCM compared with normal tissues, and this low expression was associated with worse clinicopathological features and poor prognosis of SKCM. The diagnostic efficacy of RARRES1, as determined by ROC analysis, was 0.732. Through GO, KEGG, and GSEA enrichment analysis, we identified 30 correlated genes and pathways that were mainly enriched in the tumor immune microenvironment, proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Additionally, RARRES1 expression was found to be positively related to the infiltration of various immune cells in SKCM, particularly macrophages and T helper cells, among others. Analysis of genomic alterations and promoter methylation revealed that shallow deletion and hypermethylation of the RARRES1 promoter could lead to reduced RARRES1 expression. IHC validation confirmed the downregulation of RARRES1 in SKCM. Moreover, overexpression of RARRES1 inhibited the proliferation and migration of A375 cells, promoted apoptosis, and inhibited autophagic flux. In the mouse xenograft model, RARRES1 overexpression also suppressed SKCM tumor growth. Collectively, these findings suggest that RARRES1 may function as a suppressor and could potentially serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for SKCM.