{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T06:05:01Z","timestamp":1789538701338,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) is documented as a pro- tumorigenic gene in various cancers; nevertheless, its specific function in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is unclear. This study used data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to assess IGFBP1 expression, investigating its clinical outcome-related relevance, and explore its correlation in the context of ESCA tumor microenvironment. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicated a notable overexpression of IGFBP1 in ESCA compared to normal tissues, which was further validated via immunohistochemistry. Functional enrichment analysis identified tumor-related pathways, while ssGSEA\/CIBERSORT methods linked IGFBP1 expression to altered immune infiltration. Furthermore, an investigation of single-cell data sourced from the GSE196756 data uncovered unique immune cell subsets linked to the expression of IGFBP1. The application of Cox regression alongside Kaplan-Meier survival analyses indicated that elevated levels of IGFBP1 were correlated with unfavorable outcomes in overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS). Functional validation utilizing CCK-8 and transwell assays revealed that IGFBP1 silencing significantly suppressed the proliferative, invasive, and migratory capabilities of ESCA cell lines. Furthermore,\n                    <jats:italic>in vivo<\/jats:italic>\n                    analyses also presented similar results. Collectively, these results position IGFBP1 as a prognostic biomarker in ESCA, highlighting its functional involvement in tumor progression.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1836824","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:32:58Z","timestamp":1789536778000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["IGFBP1 is a prognostic biomarker in esophageal carcinoma: mechanistic insights from bioinformatics profiling to in vitro functional validation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Huijuan","family":"Jiang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, The First People\u2019s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture","place":["Kashi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junling","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, The First 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China"]},{"name":"Institute of Etiology and Metabolic Diseases in Pamir Plateau Area, Kashi University","place":["Kashi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aishanjiang","family":"Muhetaer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First People\u2019s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture","place":["Kashi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ainiwaerjiang","family":"Abudourousuli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, The First People\u2019s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture","place":["Kashi, China"]},{"name":"Institute of Etiology and Metabolic Diseases in Pamir Plateau Area, Kashi University","place":["Kashi, China"]},{"name":"Kashi Prefecture Cancer Research Institute, The First People\u2019s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture","place":["Kashi, 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