AIM: To analyze the correlation between SLC52A2 and uveal melanoma(UM)based on the cancer genome atlas(TCGA)database, and preliminarily explore the influence of SLC52A2 on the prognosis of UM patients and potential mechanism.

METHODS: The clinical information on 80 patients with UM and mRNA expression data of SLC52A2 were collected from TCGA database. According to the expression level of SLC52A2, 80 patients were divided into high and low expression groups by median method. The relationship between the expression of SLC52A2 and clinical pathological features, as well as the prognosis was analyzed. The age, sex, clinical stage, pathological stage, and mRNA expression of SLC52A2 were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis to search the prognostic factors of UM. Enrichment analyses were used to predict the possible regulatory pathway of SLC52A2 in UM.

RESULTS: The survival prognosis of patients with low expression of SLC52A2 was better than that of patients with high expression of SLC52A2(P<0.05). The level of SLC52A2 has no significant correlation with the age, sex, clinical stage, and pathological stage of patients in both groups(P>0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the high expression of SLC52A2 was a risk factor for poor prognosis. The nomogram prediction model developed by combining the expression of SLC52A2 with clinical pathological features could accurately predict the survival probability of UM patients. The infiltration abundance of Th2 and Treg cells in both groups has difference(all P<0.001). GSEA analysis showed that the gene of JAK-STAT(FDR=0.028, P=0.004)and PI3K/AKT(FDR=0.017, P=0.002)were rich in samples with high expression of SLC52A2.

CONCLUSION: The high expression of SLC52A2 is a risk factor for the prognosis of UM patients. SLC52A2 can be used as a biomarker to predict the prognosis and to become a new target for the treatment of patients with UM.