# IL20RB promotes proliferation and migration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and is associated with immune infiltration

## TL;DR

High IL20RB levels in kidney cancer are linked to worse survival and more immune cell infiltration, suggesting a role in cancer progression and immunotherapy.

## Contribution

This study identifies IL20RB as a novel driver of proliferation and immune infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

## Key findings

- IL20RB expression is significantly higher in cancerous tissues compared to normal kidney tissues.
- Increased IL20RB is associated with poor survival and greater infiltration of immune cells like Tregs and Th1 cells in ccRCC.
- Reducing IL20RB with siRNA decreases cancer cell growth and migration in laboratory models.

## Abstract

IL20RB, interleukin 20 receptor subunit beta, functions as a cytokine receptor subunit coding gene and has been discovered to serve an essential function in human malignancies. However, the link between IL20RB expression, clinical outcomes, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was utilized to compile data on the IL20RB expression in both normal and ccRCC tissues. The link between IL20RB expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was examined utilizing the TCGA database. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were employed for performing the survival analysis. Furthermore, a protein network involving IL20RB was established using data from the GeneMANIA database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were undertaken, and the relationship between IL20RB and tumor immune infiltration was examined via single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA). Additional examination of the link between tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIIC) and IL20RB was executed utilizing the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and TISIDB databases. IL20RB expression in tumor specimens was detected through immunohistochemistry (IHC). IL20RB expression levels in tumor cells were confirmed via Western blot analysis. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays evaluated IL20RB’s impact on ccRCC cell viability. Wound Healing and Transwell assays assessed IL20RB’s influence on ccRCC cell migration.

Peritumor samples exhibited notably reduced IL20RB expression compared to ccRCC samples. IL20RB expression levels correlated markedly with sample classification, lymph node status, tumor differentiation, and disease progression. Enhanced IL20RB expression is linked to poor Disease-Specific Survival (DSS) and Overall Survival (OS) in ccRCC patients (p < 0.01). Subsequently, a significant link was observed between IL20RB overexpression and immunomodulators, chemokines, and a heightened presence of infiltrating Treg, NK CD56 cells, Th1 cells, cytotoxic cells, and T helper cells in ccRCC. IHC showed that the IL20RB level in the adjacent normal tissues was notably diminished relative to that in ccRCC samples. IL20RB suppression through small interfering RNA (siRNA) markedly diminished ccRCC cell proliferation and migration.

Heightened IL20RB expression is linked to a dismal prognosis and infiltration of immune cells in ccRCC, indicating its potential importance in the development of immunotherapeutic strategies.