A Nomogram Based on a Three-Gene Signature Derived from AATF Coexpressed Genes Predicts Overall Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer with an extremely high mortality rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need in screening key biomarkers of HCC to predict the prognosis and develop more individual treatments. Recently, AATF is reported to be an important factor contributing to HCC. Methods. We aimed to establish a gene signature to predict overall survival of HCC patients. Firstly, we examined the expression level of AATF in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the International Union of Cancer Genome (ICGC) databases. Genes coexpressed with AATF were identified in the TCGA dataset by the Poisson correlation coefficient and used to establish a gene signature for survival prediction. The prognostic significance of this gene signature was then validated in the ICGC dataset and used to build a combined prognostic model for clinical practice. Results. Gene expression data and clinical information of 2521 HCC patients were downloaded from three public databases. AATF expression in HCC tissue was higher than that in matched normal liver tissues. 644 genes coexpressed with AATF were identified by the Poisson correlation coefficient and used to establish a three-gene signature (KIF20A, UCK2, and SLC41A3) by the univariate and multivariate least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analyses. This three-gene signature was then used to build a combined nomogram for clinical practice. Conclusion. This integrated nomogram based on the three-gene signature can predict overall survival for HCC patients well. The three-gene signature may be a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

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Prognostic Power of a Chaperonin Containing TCP-1 Subunit Genes Panel for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.668871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Wenli Li ◽

Jun Liu ◽

Hetong Zhao

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Cancer Genome ◽

Medical Decision ◽

Survival Prediction ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

T Complex

Chaperonin containing TCP-1 (T-complex protein 1) (CCT) is a large molecular weight complex that contains nine subunits (TCP1, CCT2, CCT3, CCT4, CCT5, CCT6A, CCT6B, CCT7, CCT8). This study aimed to reveal key genes which encode CCT subunits for prognosis and establish prognostic gene signatures based on CCT subunit genes. The data was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas, International Cancer Genome Consortium and Gene Expression Omnibus. CCT subunit gene expression levels between tumor and normal tissues were compared. Corresponding Kaplan-Meier analysis displayed a distinct separation in the overall survival of CCT subunit genes. Correlation analysis, protein-protein interaction network, Gene Ontology analysis, immune cells infiltration analysis, and transcription factor network were performed. A nomogram was constructed for the prediction of prognosis. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis and shrinkage and selection method for linear regression model, a three-gene signature comprising CCT4, CCT6A, and CCT6B was constructed in the training set and significantly associated with prognosis as an independent prognostic factor. The prognostic value of the signature was then validated in the validation and testing set. Nomogram including the signature showed some clinical benefit for overall survival prediction. In all, we built a novel three-gene signature and nomogram from CCT subunit genes to predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, which may support the medical decision for HCC therapy.

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Development and External Validation of a Novel Immune Checkpoint–Related Gene Signature for Prediction of Overall Survival in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences ◽

10.3389/fmolb.2020.620765 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Enfa Zhao ◽

Shimin Chen ◽

Ying Dang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Immune Checkpoint ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

External Validation ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Cancer Genome ◽

Related Gene

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel immune checkpoint–related gene signature for prediction of overall survival (OS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: mRNA expression profiles and clinical follow-up information were obtained in the International Cancer Genome Consortium database. An external dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma database was used to validate the results. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed based on the differentially expressed genes. We generated a four-mRNA signature to predict patient survival. Furthermore, the reliability and validity were validated in TCGA cohort. An integrated bioinformatics approach was performed to evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic value.Results: A four-gene (epidermal growth factor, mutated in colorectal cancer, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2, and NRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) signature was built to classify patients into two risk groups using a risk score with different OS in two cohorts (all P < 0.0001). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated the signature was an independent predictor of HCC. Furthermore, the signature presented an excellent diagnostic power in differentiating HCC and adjacent tissues. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that the signature was associated with a number of immune cell subtypes.Conclusion: We identified a four–immune checkpoint–related gene signature as a robust biomarker with great potential for clinical application in risk stratification and OS prediction in HCC patients and could be a potential indicator of immunotherapy in HCC. The diagnostic signature had been validated to accurately distinguish HCC from adjacent tissues.

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Comprehensive analysis reveals a metabolic ten-gene signature in hepatocellular carcinoma

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9201 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9201

Author(s):

Zhipeng Zhu ◽

Lulu Li ◽

Jiuhua Xu ◽

Weipeng Ye ◽

Borong Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Cancer Genome ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

Survival Prediction ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Diagnostic Capability

Background Due to the complicated molecular and cellular heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the morbidity and mortality still remains high level in the world. However, the number of novel metabolic biomarkers and prognostic models could be applied to predict the survival of HCC patients is still small. In this study, we constructed a metabolic gene signature by systematically analyzing the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Methods Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumors and paired non-tumor samples of 50 patients from TCGA dataset were calculated for subsequent analysis. Univariate cox proportional hazard regression and LASSO analysis were performed to construct a gene signature. The Kaplan–Meier analysis, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC), Univariate and Multivariate Cox regression analysis, stratification analysis were used to assess the prognostic value of the gene signature. Furthermore, the reliability and validity were validated in four types of testing cohorts. Moreover, the diagnostic capability of the gene signature was investigated to further explore the clinical significance. Finally, Go enrichment analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) have been performed to reveal the different biological processes and signaling pathways which were active in high risk or low risk group. Results Ten prognostic genes were identified and a gene signature were constructed to predict overall survival (OS). The gene signature has demonstrated an excellent ability for predicting survival prognosis. Univariate and Multivariate analysis revealed the gene signature was an independent prognostic factor. Furthermore, stratification analysis indicated the model was a clinically and statistically significant for all subgroups. Moreover, the gene signature demonstrated a high diagnostic capability in differentiating normal tissue and HCC. Finally, several significant biological processes and pathways have been identified to provide new insights into the development of HCC. Conclusion The study have identified ten metabolic prognostic genes and developed a prognostic gene signature to provide more powerful prognostic information and improve the survival prediction for HCC.

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Identification and Validation of a Reliable Prognostic Eleven-Genes Signature for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-70353/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuliang Li ◽

Zhirui Liu ◽

Qian Wang

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Prognostic Model ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Rank Aggregation ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Survival Prediction ◽

Prognostic Performance ◽

Risk Patients

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with high mortality and mortality. Although advances in early diagnosis, disease management and treatment of HCC, the outcomes remain unsatisfactory. This study aimed to identify the reliable prognostic biomarkers based integrated bioinformatics analysis to predict and improve the survival of HCC patients. Methods: The gene expression or transcriptome profiles and survival of HCC were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out by the limma or edgeR package in the R software. Univariate, LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to explore survival-related signature. Subsequently, a prognostic model and nomogram composed of prognostic signature were constructed for assessing overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and stratified analysis were performed to confirm the prognostic performance of the prognostic model.Results: Compared with nontumor samples, 451 reliable DEGs were identified using the robust rank aggregation and overlap validation. Eleven survival-related DEGs were selected for the construction of a risk evaluation model, which could efficiently distinguish high-risk patients from low-risk patients and even be feasible in the subgroups of stages and age. Further analyses suggested the positive and independent prognostic performance of the model compared to other clinical characteristics (P< 0.05, ROC > 0.7). Finally, a prognostic nomogram composed of the model was constructed for assessing the overall survival, and Harrell’s concordance index and calibration curves demonstrated its efficient predictive performance. Conclusion: The predictive model and nomogram will contribute directly to further clinical applications in the individualized survival prediction, the improvement of treatment strategies and more accurate management for patients with HCC.

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A stemness-based eleven-gene signature correlates with the clinical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08351-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Liang Hong ◽

Yu Zhou ◽

Xiangbang Xie ◽

Wanrui Wu ◽

Changsheng Shi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Molecular Subtypes ◽

Prognostic Significance ◽

Predictive Performance ◽

Gene Signature ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Cumulative Distribution ◽

Gene Module ◽

Expression Levels

Abstract Background Cumulative evidences have been implicated cancer stem cells in the tumor environment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, whereas the biological functions and prognostic significance of stemness related genes (SRGs) in HCC is still unclear. Methods Molecular subtypes were identified by cumulative distribution function (CDF) clustering on 207 prognostic SRGs. The overall survival (OS) predictive gene signature was developed, internally and externally validated based on HCC datasets including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), GEO and ICGC datasets. Hub genes were identified in molecular subtypes by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, and then enrolled for determination of prognostic genes. Univariate, LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess prognostic genes and construct the prognostic gene signature. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, Kaplan-Meier curve and nomogram were used to assess the performance of the gene signature. Results We identified four molecular subtypes, among which the C2 subtype showed the highest SRGs expression levels and proportions of immune cells, whereas the worst OS; the C1 subtype showed the lowest SRGs expression levels and was associated with most favorable OS. Next, we identified 11 prognostic genes (CDX2, PON1, ADH4, RBP2, LCAT, GAL, LPA, CYP19A1, GAST, SST and UGT1A8) and then constructed a prognostic 11-gene module and validated its robustness in all three datasets. Moreover, by univariate and multivariate Cox regression, we confirmed the independent prognostic ability of the 11-gene module for patients with HCC. In addition, calibration analysis plots indicated the excellent predictive performance of the prognostic nomogram constructed based on the 11-gene signature. Conclusions Findings in the present study shed new light on the role of stemness related genes within HCC, and the established 11-SRG signature can be utilized as a novel prognostic marker for survival prognostication in patients with HCC.

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Identification of a five-gene signature in association with overall survival for hepatocellular carcinoma

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11273 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11273

Author(s):

Lei Yang ◽

Weilong Yin ◽

Xuechen Liu ◽

Fangcun Li ◽

Li Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

Enrichment Score ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Cox Regression Analysis

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered to be a malignant tumor with a high incidence and a high mortality. Accurate prognostic models are urgently needed. The present study was aimed at screening the critical genes for prognosis of HCC. Methods The GSE25097, GSE14520, GSE36376 and GSE76427 datasets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). We used GEO2R to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A protein-protein interaction network of the DEGs was constructed by Cytoscape in order to find hub genes by module analysis. The Metascape was performed to discover biological functions and pathway enrichment of DEGs. MCODE components were calculated to construct a module complex of DEGs. Then, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used for gene enrichment analysis. ONCOMINE was employed to assess the mRNA expression levels of key genes in HCC, and the survival analysis was conducted using the array from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) of HCC. Then, the LASSO Cox regression model was performed to establish and identify the prognostic gene signature. We validated the prognostic value of the gene signature in the TCGA cohort. Results We screened out 10 hub genes which were all up-regulated in HCC tissue. They mainly enrich in mitotic cell cycle process. The GSEA results showed that these data sets had good enrichment score and significance in the cell cycle pathway. Each candidate gene may be an indicator of prognostic factors in the development of HCC. However, hub genes expression was weekly associated with overall survival in HCC patients. LASSO Cox regression analysis validated a five-gene signature (including CDC20, CCNB2, NCAPG, ASPM and NUSAP1). These results suggest that five-gene signature model may provide clues for clinical prognostic biomarker of HCC.

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Exploration and validation of a novel prognostic signature based on comprehensive bioinformatics analysis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20203263 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaofei Wang ◽

Jie Qiao ◽

Rongqi Wang

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Risk Score ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Cancer Genome ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Good Prediction ◽

Expression Levels

Abstract The present study aimed to construct a novel signature for indicating the prognostic outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gene expression profiles were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. The prognosis-related genes with differential expression were identified with weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), univariate analysis, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). With the stepwise regression analysis, a risk score was constructed based on the expression levels of five genes: Risk score = (−0.7736* CCNB2) + (1.0083* DYNC1LI1) + (−0.6755* KIF11) + (0.9588* SPC25) + (1.5237* KIF18A), which can be applied as a signature for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients. The prediction capacity of the risk score for overall survival was validated with both TCGA and ICGC cohorts. The 1-, 3- and 5-year ROC curves were plotted, in which the AUC was 0.842, 0.726 and 0.699 in TCGA cohort and 0.734, 0.691 and 0.700 in ICGC cohort, respectively. Moreover, the expression levels of the five genes were determined in clinical tumor and normal specimens with immunohistochemistry. The novel signature has exhibited good prediction efficacy for the overall survival of HCC patients.

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Identification of a Liver Progenitor Cell-Related Genes Signature Predicting Overall Survival for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment ◽

10.1177/15330338211041425 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 153303382110414

Author(s):

Xiaoyong Li ◽

Jiaqong Lin ◽

Yuguo pan ◽

Peng Cui ◽

Jintang Xia

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Prognostic Model ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Risk Group ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Related Gene ◽

Cox Regression Analysis

Background: Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) play significant roles in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no studies on the value of LPC-related genes for evaluating HCC prognosis exist. We developed a gene signature of LPC-related genes for prognostication in HCC. Methods: To identify LPC-related genes, we analyzed mRNA expression arrays from a dataset (GSE57812 & GSE 37071) containing LPCs, mature hepatocytes, and embryonic stem cell samples. HCC RNA-Seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to explore the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to prognosis through DEG analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis. Lasso and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to construct the LPC-related gene prognostic model in the TCGA training dataset. This model was validated in the TCGA testing set and an external dataset (International Cancer Genome Consortium [ICGC] dataset). Finally, we investigated the relationship between this prognostic model with tumor-node-metastasis stage, tumor grade, and vascular invasion of HCC. Results: Overall, 1770 genes were identified as LPC-related genes, of which 92 genes were identified as DEGs in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues. Furthermore, we randomly assigned patients from the TCGA dataset to the training and testing cohorts. Twenty-six DEGs correlated with overall survival (OS) in the univariate Cox regression analysis. Lasso and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed in the TCGA training set, and a 3-gene signature was constructed to stratify patients into 2 risk groups: high-risk and low-risk. Patients in the high-risk group had significantly lower OS than those in the low-risk group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis confirmed the signature's predictive capacity. Moreover, the risk score was confirmed to be an independent predictor for patients with HCC. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the LPC-related gene signature can be used for prognostication in HCC. Thus, targeting LPCs may serve as a therapeutic alternative for HCC.

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Establishment and Validation of an MTORC1 Signaling-Related Gene Signature to Predict Overall Survival in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2021/6299472 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Zheng Yao ◽

Song Wen ◽

Jun Luo ◽

Weiyuan Hao ◽

Weiren Liang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Decision Tree ◽

Survival Data ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Related Gene ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Cancer Hallmarks ◽

Mtorc1 Signaling

Background. Accurate and effective biomarkers for the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly identified. A network-based gene signature may serve as a valuable biomarker to improve the accuracy of risk discrimination in patients. Methods. The expression levels of cancer hallmarks were determined by Cox regression analysis. Various bioinformatic methods, such as GSEA, WGCNA, and LASSO, and statistical approaches were applied to generate an MTORC1 signaling-related gene signature (MSRS). Moreover, a decision tree and nomogram were constructed to aid in the quantification of risk levels for each HCC patient. Results. Active MTORC1 signaling was found to be the most vital predictor of overall survival in HCC patients in the training cohort. MSRS was established and proved to hold the capacity to stratify HCC patients with poor outcomes in two validated datasets. Analysis of the patient MSRS levels and patient survival data suggested that the MSRS can be a valuable risk factor in two validated datasets and the integrated cohort. Finally, we constructed a decision tree which allowed to distinguish subclasses of patients at high risk and a nomogram which could accurately predict the survival of individuals. Conclusions. The present study may contribute to the improvement of current prognostic systems for patients with HCC.

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Development and validation of an unfolded protein response-related gene signature to predict overall survival in HNSCC.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.e18033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e18033-e18033

Author(s):

Jun Chen ◽

Bei Zhang

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Unfolded Protein Response ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Risk Group ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Related Gene ◽

Hallmarks Of Cancer ◽

Unfolded Protein ◽

Protein Response

e18033 Background: Genomic expression profiles have enabled the classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) into molecular sub-types and provide prognostic information, which have implications for the personalized treatment of HNSCC beyond clinical and pathological features. Methods: Gene-expression profiling was identified in TCGA- HNSCC (n = 492) and validated with the Gene Expression Ominibus (GEO) dataset(n = 270) for which RNA sequencing data and clinical covariates were available. A single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm were used to quantified the levels of various hallmarks of cancer. And LASSO Cox regression model was used to screen robust prognostic biomarkers to identify the best set of survival-associated gene signatures in HNSCC. Statistical analyses were performed using R version 3.4.4. Results: We identified unfolded protein response as the primary risk factor for survival（cox coefficient = 17.4 [8.4-26.3], P < 0.001）among various hallmarks of cancer in TCGA- HNSCC. And unfolded protein response ssGESA scores were significantly elevated in patients who died during follow up (P = 0.009). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with low ssGSEA scores of unfolded protein response exhibited better OS (HR = 0.69, P = 0.008). And we established an unfolded protein response-related gene signature based on lasso cox. We then apply the unfolded protein response -related gene signature to classify patients into the high risk group and the low risk group with the cutoff of 0.18. Adjusted for stage，age，gender, our signature was an independent risk factor for overall survival in TCGA cohorts (HR = 0.39 [0.28-0.53],P = < 0.001). In external independent cohorts, similar results were observed. In the validation cohort GEO65858, the patients with high unfolded protein response score showed longer survival (HR = 0.62 [0.38-1.0], P = 0.049). And adjusted for stage，age，HPV state, the multivariate cox regression analysis showed that unfolded protein response-related gene signature exhibited an independent risk prediction for overall survival in 270 patients with HNSCC (HR = 0.57 [0.35-0.94], P = 0.026). Conclusions: By analyzing the gene-expression data with bioinformation approach, we developed and validated a risk prediction model with unfolded protein response -related expression scores in HNSCC, which have the potential to identify patients who could have better overall survival.

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