Development of a 15-Gene Signature Model as a Prognostic Tool in Sex Hormone-Dependent Cancers

Sex hormone dependence is associated with tumor progression and prognosis. Here, we explored the molecular basis of luminal A-like phenotype in sex hormone-dependent cancers. RNA-sequencing data from 8 cancer types were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We investigated the enrichment function of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in luminal A breast cancer (BRCA). Weighted coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify gene modules associated with the luminal A-like phenotype, and we calculated the module’s preservation in 8 cancer types. Module hub genes screened using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to construct a gene signature model for the luminal A-like phenotype, and we assessed the model’s relationship with prognosis, enriched pathways, and immune infiltration using bioinformatics approaches. Compared to other BRCA subtypes, the enrichment functions of upregulated genes in luminal A BRCA were related to hormone biological processes and receptor activity, and the downregulated genes were associated with the cell cycle and nuclear division. A gene module significantly associated with luminal A BRCA was shared by uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC), leading to a similar phenotype. Fifteen hub genes were used to construct a gene signature model for the assessment of the luminal A-like phenotype, and the corrected C -statistics and Brier scores were 0.986 and 0.023, respectively. Calibration plots showed good performance, and decision curve analysis indicated a high net benefit of the model. The 15-gene signature model was associated with better overall survival in BRCA and UCEC and was characterized by downregulation of DNA replication, cell cycle and activated CD4 T cells. In conclusion, our study elucidated that BRCA and UCEC share a similar sex hormone-dependent phenotype and constructed a 15-gene signature model for use as a prognostic tool to quantify the probability of the phenotype.

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Hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor expression functions as a prognostic biomarker in uterine carcinosarcoma based on bioinformatics analysis

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/03000605211021043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (6) ◽

pp. 030006052110210

Author(s):

Hui Sun ◽

Li Ma ◽

Jie Chen

Keyword(s):

Interaction Network ◽

Maximal Clique ◽

Receptor Expression ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Uterine Carcinosarcoma ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Protein Protein Interaction ◽

Normal Tissues ◽

Potential Biomarker

Objective Uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) is a rare, aggressive tumour with a high metastasis rate and poor prognosis. This study aimed to explore potential key genes associated with the prognosis of UCS. Methods Transcriptional expression data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses using Metascape. A protein–protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING website and Cytoscape software, and the top 30 genes obtained through the Maximal Clique Centrality algorithm were selected as hub genes. These hub genes were validated by clinicopathological and sequencing data for 56 patients with UCS from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Results A total of 1894 DEGs were identified, and the top 30 genes were considered as hub genes. Hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR) expression was significantly higher in UCS tissues compared with normal tissues, and elevated expression of HMMR was identified as an independent prognostic factor for shorter survival in patients with UCS. Conclusions These results suggest that HMMR may be a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with UCS.

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Exome-Wide Pan-Cancer Analysis of Germline Variants in 8,719 Individuals Finds Little Evidence of Rare Variant Associations

Human Heredity ◽

10.1159/000519355 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Zoe Guan ◽

Ronglai Shen ◽

Colin B. Begg

Keyword(s):

Rare Variant ◽

Rare Variants ◽

Association Studies ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Considerable Proportion ◽

Genome Wide Association Studies ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Risk Variants ◽

Cancer Types ◽

Pan Cancer

Background: Many cancer types show considerable heritability, and extensive research has been done to identify germline susceptibility variants. Linkage studies have discovered many rare high-risk variants, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have discovered many common low-risk variants. However, it is believed that a considerable proportion of the heritability of cancer remains unexplained by known susceptibility variants. The “rare variant hypothesis” proposes that much of the missing heritability lies in rare variants that cannot reliably be detected by linkage analysis or GWAS. Until recently, high sequencing costs have precluded extensive surveys of rare variants, but technological advances have now made it possible to analyze rare variants on a much greater scale. Objectives: In this study, we investigated associations between rare variants and 14 cancer types. Methods: We ran association tests using whole-exome sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and validated the findings using data from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes Consortium (PCAWG). Results: We identified four significant associations in TCGA, only one of which was replicated in PCAWG (BRCA1 and ovarian cancer). Conclusions: Our results provide little evidence in favor of the rare variant hypothesis. Much larger sample sizes may be needed to detect undiscovered rare cancer variants.

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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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Identification of immune-infiltrating cell-related biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma based on gene co-expression network analysis

Diagnostic Pathology ◽

10.1186/s13000-021-01118-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yinghui Hou ◽

Guizhi Zhang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Ppi Network ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Survival Prognosis ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Cancer Tissues

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often caused by chronic liver infection or inflammation. Searching for potential immunotherapy targets will aid the early diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Methods Firstly, detailed HCC data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. GDCRNATools was used for the comprehensive analysis of RNA sequencing data. Subsequently, the CIBERSORT package was used to estimate infiltration scores of 22 types of immune cells in complex samples. Furthermore, hub genes were identified via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. In addition, multiple databases were used to validate the expression of hub gene in the tumor tissue. Finally, prognostic, diagnostic and immunohistochemical analysis of key hub genes was performed. Results In the present study, 9 hub genes were identified using WGCNA and PPI network analysis. Furthermore, the expression levels of 9 genes were positively correlated with the infiltration levels of CD8-positive T (CD8+ T) cells. In multiple dataset validations, the expression levels of CCL5, CXCR6, CD3E, and LCK were decreased in cancer tissues. In addition, survival analysis revealed that patients with LCK low expression had a poor survival prognosis (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that CCL5, CD3E and LCK were expressed at low levels in HCC cancer tissues. Conclusion The identification of CCL5, CXCR6, CD3E and LCK may be helpful in the development of early diagnosis and therapy of HCC. LCK may be a potential prognostic biomarker for immunotherapy for HCC.

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My personal mutanome: a computational genomic medicine platform for searching network perturbing alleles linking genotype to phenotype

Genome Biology ◽

10.1186/s13059-021-02269-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yadi Zhou ◽

Junfei Zhao ◽

Jiansong Fang ◽

William Martin ◽

Lang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Posttranslational Modifications ◽

Genomic Medicine ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Protein Binding Sites ◽

Functional Sites ◽

Protein Protein Interaction ◽

Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Cancer Types ◽

Protein Posttranslational Modifications

AbstractMassive genome sequencing data have inspired new challenges in personalized treatments and facilitated oncological drug discovery. We present a comprehensive database, My Personal Mutanome (MPM), for accelerating the development of precision cancer medicine protocols. MPM contains 490,245 mutations from over 10,800 tumor exomes across 33 cancer types in The Cancer Genome Atlas mapped to 94,563 structure-resolved/predicted protein-protein interaction interfaces (“edgetic”) and 311,022 functional sites (“nodetic”), including ligand-protein binding sites and 8 types of protein posttranslational modifications. In total, 8884 survival results and 1,271,132 drug responses are obtained for these mapped interactions. MPM is available at https://mutanome.lerner.ccf.org.

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Single-cell analysis of a tumor-derived exosome signature correlates with prognosis and immunotherapy response

Journal of Translational Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12967-021-03053-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jiani Wu ◽

Dongqiang Zeng ◽

Shimeng Zhi ◽

Zilan Ye ◽

Wenjun Qiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Single Cell ◽

Immune Modulation ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Disease Diagnosis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Cancer Types

Abstract Background Tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) are involved in tumor progression and the immune modulation process and mediate intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment. Although exosomes are considered promising liquid biomarkers for disease diagnosis, it is difficult to discriminate TEXs and to develop TEX-based predictive biomarkers. Methods In this study, the gene expression profiles and clinical information were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, IMvigor210 cohorts, and six independent Gene Expression Omnibus datasets. A TEXs-associated signature named TEXscore was established to predict overall survival in multiple cancer types and in patients undergoing immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Results Based on exosome-associated genes, we first constructed a tumor-derived exosome signature named TEXscore using a principal component analysis algorithm. In single-cell RNA-sequencing data analysis, ascending TEXscore was associated with disease progression and poor clinical outcomes. In the TCGA Pan-Cancer cohort, TEXscore was elevated in tumor samples rather than in normal tissues, thereby serving as a reliable biomarker to distinguish cancer from non-cancer sources. Moreover, high TEXscore was associated with shorter overall survival across 12 cancer types. TEXscore showed great potential in predicting immunotherapy response in melanoma, urothelial cancer, and renal cancer. The immunosuppressive microenvironment characterized by macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells was associated with high TEXscore in the TCGA and immunotherapy cohorts. Besides, TEXscore-associated miRNAs and gene mutations were also identified. Further experimental research will facilitate the extending of TEXscore in tumor-associated exosomes. Conclusions TEXscore capturing tumor-derived exosome features might be a robust biomarker for prognosis and treatment responses in independent cohorts.

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Gene signature to predict prognostic survival of hepatocellular carcinoma

Open Medicine ◽

10.1515/med-2021-0405 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 135-150

Author(s):

Li Li ◽

Yundi Cao ◽

YingRui Fan ◽

Rong Li

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Cox Regression ◽

External Validation ◽

Gene Signature ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Prognostic Indicators ◽

Hypergeometric Test ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Cox Regression Analysis

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high incidence and poor prognosis and is the second most fatal cancer, and certain HCC patients also show high heterogeneity. This study developed a prognostic model for predicting clinical outcomes of HCC. RNA and microRNA (miRNA) sequencing data of HCC were obtained from the cancer genome atlas. RNA dysregulation between HCC tumors and adjacent normal liver tissues was examined by DESeq algorithms. Survival analysis was conducted to determine the basic prognostic indicators. We identified competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) containing 15,364 pairs of mRNA–long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). An imbalanced ceRNA network comprising 8 miRNAs, 434 mRNAs, and 81 lncRNAs was developed using hypergeometric test. Functional analysis showed that these RNAs were closely associated with biosynthesis. Notably, 53 mRNAs showed a significant prognostic correlation. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator’s feature selection detected four characteristic genes (SAPCD2, DKC1, CHRNA5, and UROD), based on which a four-gene independent prognostic signature for HCC was constructed using Cox regression analysis. The four-gene signature could stratify samples in the training, test, and external validation sets (p <0.01). Five-year survival area under ROC curve (AUC) in the training and validation sets was greater than 0.74. The current prognostic gene model exhibited a high stability and accuracy in predicting the overall survival (OS) of HCC patients.

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Identification of key genes associated with progression and prognosis for lung squamous cell carcinoma

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9086 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9086 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaohan Ma ◽

Huijun Ren ◽

Ruoyu Peng ◽

Yi Li ◽

Liang Ming

Keyword(s):

Overall Survival ◽

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Gene Signature ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Clinical Prognosis

Background Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a major subtype of lung cancer with limited therapeutic options and poor clinical prognosis. Methods Three datasets (GSE19188, GSE33532 and GSE33479) were obtained from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LUSC and normal tissues were identified by GEO2R, and functional analysis was employed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online tool. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) and hub genes were identified via the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and Cytoscape software. Hub genes were further validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Subsequently, survival analysis was performed using the Kapla–Meier curve and Cox progression analysis. Based on univariate and multivariate Cox progression analysis, a gene signature was established to predict overall survival. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the prognostic value of the model. Results A total of 116 up-regulated genes and 84 down-regulated genes were identified. These DEGs were mainly enriched in the two pathways: cell cycle and p53 signaling way. According to the degree of protein nodes in the PPI network, 10 hub genes were identified. The mRNA expression levels of the 10 hub genes in LUSC were also significantly up-regulated in the TCGA database. Furthermore, a novel seven-gene signature (FLRT3, PPP2R2C, MMP3, MMP12, CAPN8, FILIP1 and SPP1) from the DEGs was constructed and acted as a significant and independent prognostic signature for LUSC. Conclusions The 10 hub genes might be tightly correlated with LUSC progression. The seven-gene signature might be an independent biomarker with a significant predictive value in LUSC overall survival.

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Development and validation of 10-gene signature for predicting survival in patients with prostate cancer

10.21203/rs.3.rs-17658/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nan Li ◽

Kai Yu ◽

Ling Zhong ◽

Dingyuan Zeng

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Cancer Prognosis ◽

Sequencing Data

Abstract Background. The prognosis for prostate cancer patients remains poor. High-throughput sequencing data provide a solid basis for identifying genes associated with cancer prognosis, but genetic markers are needed to predict the clinical outcome of prostate cancer. Methods. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (N = 551) was adopted to estimate the prognostic value of immune genes. RNA-seq and clinical follow-up data were downloaded from TCGA. The samples were randomly divided into training and test. Cox regression analyses and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were conducted to develop an immune risk score. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) were used for functional Analysis. Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) is used to analyze the immune score, and RMS curve and clinical decision curve analysis is used to analyze the superiority of the comparison with published models. Results. Survival analyses revealed that 19 genes significantly associated with the overall survival (OS). 10-genes signature was ultimately obtained through random forest feature selection. Riskscore effectively stratified samples in the training, test, and external verification sets and all TCGA sets. The 5-year survival AUC in the training, verification sets and all TCGA sets were around 0.7. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that 10-genes signature has good predictive performance in clinical. TIMER analysis shows that immunosuppression may reduce the chances of survival for patients with prostate cancer. Compared with published models, our model has a higher C-index. Conclusion. We constructed a 10-gene signature as a new prognostic marker for predicting survival of prostate cancer patients.

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Up-regulated Expression and Related Gene Regulatory Networks of ANLN Predict Poor Prognosis and Correlate with Immune Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31170/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bo Hu ◽

Xiao-Bo Yang ◽

Xinting Sang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Immune Infiltration ◽

Dismal Prognosis ◽

Mrna Binding

Abstract Background: The aberrant Anillin (ANLN) expression is reported to be associated with carcinogenesis. In this study, sequencing data collected from the Cancer Genome Atlas database were utilized to analyze ANLN expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: The relationships of clinicopathological features with ANLN were investigated, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to reveal the ANLN-related functions. LinkedOmics was employed to identify the co-expressed genes of ANLN and to examine the target networks of kinases, microRNAs (miRNAs) and transcription factors (TFs). Besides, the correlation of ANLN expression with cancer immune infiltrates was analyzed by TIMER. Results: ANLN over-expression predicted dismal prognosis, and GESA results revealed several functions that were related to cell cycle and mRNA binding. Moreover, functional network analysis indicated that, ANLN might regulate DNA replication and cell cycle signaling through pathways that involved several cancer-related kinases, miRNAs and E2F1. Additionally, ANLN was suggested to be associated with the infiltration of several immune cells, which was proved to be upregulated in both HCC cells and tissues. Conclusion: Those efficiently mined data reveal information regarding ANLN expression, the potential regulatory networks and the relationship with immune infiltration in HCC, which lay a foundation for further study on the role of ANLN in carcinogenesis.

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