Nkapd1 is one of the genes associated with tumor stemness in gastric cancer research. However, the reference does not provide information on its key aliases, essential functions, associated pathways at a molecular level. But its significance lies in being part of a group of genes used to develop a prognostic model related to gastric cancer stemness [1].

A 9-gene stemness-based signature including Nkapd1 was constructed. This signature had good performance in predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Early-stage gastric cancer patients had higher levels of stemness. The stemness score was negatively related to the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score and immune infiltration, especially of T cells and B cells. High-risk patients based on this signature tended to develop immune escape and had a low response to PD-L1 immunotherapy [1].

In conclusion, Nkapd1, as part of a gene signature, is valuable in predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy responsiveness in gastric cancer patients. Its role in this context provides insights into the complex relationship between tumor stemness, immunity, and immunotherapy in gastric cancer, which may contribute to better clinical decision-making for gastric cancer treatment [1].

References:

1. Wang, Chenchen, Chen, Ying, Zhou, Ru, Yang, Ya'nan, Fang, Yantian. . Systematic Analysis of Tumor Stem Cell-related Gene Characteristics to Predict the PD-L1 Immunotherapy and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer. In Current medicinal chemistry, 31, 2467-2482. doi:10.2174/0109298673278775231101064235. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37936456/