Background:Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC), a major subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, presents significant treatment challenges due to limited targeted therapy options. This study aims to identify novel therapeutic targets to improve therapeutic
strategies for LUSC.Methods:By employing bulk RNA sequencing, Weighted Gene Co-expression Network
Analysis (WGCNA), survival analysis, and Mendelian Randomization (MR), we pinpointed
genes with prognostic relevance to LUSC. These genes were further scrutinized for their
therapeutic potential through LASSO regression, Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network
analysis, and immune infiltration assessments. To delve into the roles and cell-specific expressions of these genes within the LUSC microenvironment, pathway enrichment analysis,
single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and pseudotime analysis were conducted.Results:Our integrative approach identified 23 prognostically significant therapeutic targets, categorized into tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three genes based on their potential therapeutic relevance. Functional enrichment analyses highlighted the significant role of these
genes in immune response regulation, particularly in T-cell receptor signaling and the complement system. scRNA-seq analysis revealed cell-type-specific expression patterns and
pseudotime analysis provided insights into cellular heterogeneity and developmental trajectories in LUSC.Conclusions:In this study, we identified 3 tier-one genes (MCM6, C4B, CTC-463A16.1), 7
tier-two genes (C4A, HLA-DRB9, LIMS2, LINC00654, MYO7B, SIGLEC5, TIE1), and 13
tier-three genes (AC007743.1, AC147651.4, ALDH2, BTN3A2, BTNL9, CCR1, GIPC3,
HLA-DQB1, ICAM5, LIMD1, PM20D1, RP11-302L19.3, RP11-768F21.1).