ABSTRACT
Selenium and selenoproteins are closely related to melanoma progression. However, it is unclear how SELENOK affects lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), immune cell infiltration, survival, and prognosis in melanoma patients. Transcriptome data from melanoma patients was used to investigate SELENOK levels and their effect on prognosis, followed by an investigation of SELENOK's effects on immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, a risk model based on ERS, lipid metabolism, and immune-related genes was constructed, and its utility in melanoma prognosis was evaluated. Finally, the drug sensitivity of the risk model was analyzed to provide a reference for melanoma therapy. The results showed that melanoma with a high SELENOK level had a greater degree of immune cell infiltration and a better prognosis. Additionally, SELENOK was found to regulate ERS, lipid metabolism, and immune cell infiltration in melanoma. The risk model based on SELENOK signature genes successfully predicted the prognosis of melanoma, and the low-risk group exhibited a favorable immunological microenvironment. Furthermore, high-risk patients with melanoma were candidates for chemotherapy with RAS pathway inhibitors, whereas low-risk patients were more susceptible to routinely used chemotherapy medicines. In summary, SELENOK was shown to regulate ERS, lipid metabolism, and immune cell infiltration in melanoma, and SELENOK was positively associated with the prognosis of melanoma. The risk model based on SELENOK signature genes was valuable for melanoma prognosis and therapy.
