scholarly journals Identification of Prognostic Signature and Immune Infiltration in the Skin Cutaneous Melanoma Microenvironment

Author(s):  
Xiaoyong Li ◽  
Xueyi Jian ◽  
Xiaofeng Wei ◽  
Yan Lin ◽  
Zena Huang ◽  
...  

Abstract Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM), characterized by high immunogenicity, has an increasing incidence in recent years. The development of immunotherapy recently offered a promising treatment for patients with SKCM. Unfortunately, not all patients derive benefit from such treatment, so we still face considerable challenges. Hence, it is imperative to develop novel prognostic signature and identify immunotherapeutic targets. In the present study, patients in high immune scores group presented a higher survival rate, while no statistical difference was observed in groups with different stromal scores. 493 DEGs were identified for functional analysis, which were enriched in function related to immune regulation such as lymphocyte activation and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Subsequently, 84 DEGs intersected from Univariate Cox regression analysis and top 100 hub genes in PPI network were identified for the construction of prognostic model. Finally, a prognostic signature including 3 genes (HLA-DQB2, CD80 and GBP4) was established in TCGA training dataset, which was effectively validated in test dataset. Moreover, the model was considered as an independent prognostic factor via univariate and multivariate analysis. Besides, CIBERSORT and correlation analysis demonstrated that the expression level of risk scores was significantly correlated to infiltration levels of immune cells in SKCM. Above all, our study developed a novel prognostic signature, serving as potential prognostic biomarker for SKCM patients. A closely correlation between the prognostic model and tumor immune microenvironment was confirmed, offering a novel insight for the pathogenesis and potential immunotherapy for SKCM.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixiang Cao ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Guang Lu ◽  
Haowei Wang ◽  
Xinyu Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract with a dismal prognosis. Increasing evidence suggests that tumor microenvironment (TME) is closely associated with cancer prognosis. However, the prognostic signature for CCA based on TME has not yet been reported. This study aimed to develop a TME-related prognostic signature for accurately predicting the prognosis of patients with CCA. Methods: Based on the TCGA database, we calculated the stromal and immune scores using the ESTIMATE algorithm to assess TME in stromal and immune cells derived from CCA. TME-related differentially expressed genes were identified, followed by functional enrichment analysis and PPI network analysis. Univariate Cox regression analysis, Lasso Cox regression model and multivariable Cox regression analysis were performed to identify and construct the TME-related prognostic gene signature. Gene Set Enrichment Analyses (GSEA) was performed to further investigate the potential molecular mechanisms. The correlations between the risk scores and tumor infiltration immune cells were analyzed using Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database. Results: A total of 784 TME-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, which were mainly enriched in immune-related processes and pathways. Among these TME-related DEGs, A novel two‑gene signature (including GAD1 and KLRB1) was constructed for CCA prognosis prediction. The AUC of the prognostic model for predicting the survival of patients at 1-, 2-, and 3- years was 0.811, 0.772, and 0.844, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that the two‑gene signature was an independent prognostic factor. Based on the risk scores of the prognostic model, CCA patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups, and patients with high-risk score had shorter survival time than those with low-risk score. Furthermore, we found that the risk scores were negatively correlated with TME-scores and the number of several tumor infiltration immune cells, including B cells and CD4+ T cells. Conclusion: Our study established a novel TME-related gene signature to predict the prognosis of patients with CCA. This might provide a new understanding of the potential relationship between TME and CCA prognosis, and serve as a prognosis stratification tool for guiding personalized treatment of CCA patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
zhi Zhang ◽  
cheng chen ◽  
ying fang ◽  
sheng Li ◽  
xiaohua Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Function of the immune system is correlated with the prognosis of the tumor. The effect of immune microenvironment on esophageal cancer (EC) development has not been fully investigated. Methods: This study aimed to explore a prognostic model based on immune-related genes (IRGs) for EC. We obtained the RNA-seq dataset and clinical information of EC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results: We identified 247 upregulated IRGs and 56 downregulated IRGs. Pathway analysis revealed that the most differentially expressed IRGs were enriched in Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. We further screened 13 survival-related IRGs and constructed regulatory networks involving related transcription factors (TFs). Finally, a prognostic model was constructed with 9 IRGs (HSPA6, S100A12, CACYBP, NOS2, DKK1, OSM ,STC2 ,NGPTL3 and NR2F2) by multivariate Cox regression analysis. The patients were classified into two subgroups with different outcomes. When adjusted with clinical factors, this model was verified as an independent predictor, which performed accurately in prognostic prediction. Next, M0 and M2 macrophages and activated mast cells were significantly enriched in high-risk group, while CD8 T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) were significantly enriched in low-risk group. Conclusions: Prognosis related IRGs were identified and a prognostic signature for esophageal cancer based on nine IRGs was developed.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Zhang ◽  
Cheng Chen ◽  
Ying Fang ◽  
Sheng Li ◽  
Xiaohua Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Function of the immune system is correlated with the prognosis of the tumor. The effect of immune microenvironment on esophageal cancer (EC) development has not been fully investigated. Methods This study aimed to explore a prognostic model based on immune-related genes (IRGs) for EC. We obtained the RNA-seq dataset and clinical information of EC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results We identified 247 upregulated IRGs and 56 downregulated IRGs. Pathway analysis revealed that the most differentially expressed IRGs were enriched in Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. We further screened 13 survival-related IRGs and constructed regulatory networks involving related transcription factors (TFs). Finally, a prognostic model was constructed with 9 IRGs (HSPA6, S100A12, CACYBP, NOS2, DKK1, OSM, STC2, NGPTL3 and NR2F2) by multivariate Cox regression analysis. The patients were classified into two subgroups with different outcomes. When adjusted with clinical factors, this model was verified as an independent predictor, which performed accurately in prognostic prediction. Next, M0 and M2 macrophages and activated mast cells were significantly enriched in high-risk group, while CD8 T cells and regulatory T cells (Tregs) were significantly enriched in low-risk group. Conclusions Prognosis related IRGs were identified and a prognostic signature for esophageal cancer based on nine IRGs was developed.


Author(s):  
Yongmei Wang ◽  
Guimin Zhang ◽  
Ruixian Wang

Background: This study aims to explore the prognostic values of CT83 and CT83-related genes in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: We downloaded the mRNA profiles of 513 LUAD patients (RNA sequencing data) and 246 NSCLC patients (Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array) from TCGA and GEO databases. According to the median expression of CT83, the TCGA samples were divided into high and low expression groups, and differential expression analysis between them was performed. Functional enrichment analysis of differential expression genes (DEGs) was conducted. Univariate Cox regression analysis and LASSO Cox regression analysis were performed to screen the optimal prognostic DEGs. Then we established the prognostic model. A Nomogram model was constructed to predict the overall survival (OS) probability of LUAD patients. Results: CT83 expression was significantly correlated to the prognosis of LUAD patients. A total of 59 DEGs were identified, and a predictive model was constructed based on six optimal CT83-related DEGs, including CPS1, RHOV, TNNT1, FAM83A, IGF2BP1, and GRIN2A, could effectively predict the prognosis of LUAD patients. The nomogram could reliably predict the OS of LUAD patients. Moreover, the six important immune checkpoints (CTLA4, PD1, IDO1, TDO2, LAG3, and TIGIT) were closely correlated with the Risk Score, which was also differentially expressed between the LUAD samples with high and low-Risk Scores, suggesting that the poor prognosis of LUAD patients with high-Risk Score might be due to the immunosuppressive microenvironments. Conclusion: A prognostic model based on six optimal CT83 related genes could effectively predict the prognosis of LUAD patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pu Wu ◽  
Jinyuan Shi ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Hao Zhang

Abstract Background Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death triggered by inflammasomes. However, the roles of pyroptosis-related genes in thyroid cancer (THCA) remain still unclear. Objective This study aimed to construct a pyroptosis-related signature that could effectively predict THCA prognosis and survival. Methods A LASSO Cox regression analysis was performed to build a prognostic model based on the expression profile of each pyroptosis-related gene. The predictive value of the prognostic model was validated in the internal cohort. Results A pyroptosis-related signature consisting of four genes was constructed to predict THCA prognosis and all patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups. Patients with a high-risk score had a poorer overall survival (OS) than those in the low-risk group. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves assessed and verified the predictive performance of this signature. Multivariate analysis showed the risk score was an independent prognostic factor. Tumor immune cell infiltration and immune status were significantly higher in low-risk groups, which indicated a better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Of the four pyroptosis-related genes in the prognostic signature, qRT-PCR detected three of them with significantly differential expression in THCA tissues. Conclusion In summary, our pyroptosis-related risk signature may have an effective predictive and prognostic capability in THCA. Our results provide a potential foundation for future studies of the relationship between pyroptosis and the immunotherapy response.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Ting Ye ◽  
Xue fang Zhang ◽  
Yong jian Dong ◽  
Wen feng Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Most of the malignant melanomas are already in the middle and advanced stages when they are diagnosed, which is often accompanied by the metastasis and spread of other organs.Besides, the prognosis of patients is bleak. The characteristics of the local immune microenvironment in metastatic melanoma have important implications for both tumor progression and tumor treatment. In this study, data on patients with metastatic melanoma from the TCGA and GEO datasets were selected for immune, stromal, and estimate scores, and overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. A nine-IRGs prognostic model (ALOX5AP, ARHGAP15, CCL8, FCER1G, GBP4, HCK, MMP9, RARRES2 and TRIM22) was established by univariate COX regression, LASSO and multivariate COX regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to test the predictive accuracy of the model. Immune infiltration was analyzed by using CIBERSORT, Xcell and ssGSEA in high-risk and low-risk groups. The immune infiltration of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group. Immune checkpoint analysis revealed that the expression of PDCD1, CTLA4, TIGIT, CD274, HAVR2 and LAG3 were significantly different in groups with different levels of risk scores. WGCNA analysis found that the yellow-green module contained seven genes (ALOX5AP, FCER1G, GBP4, HCK, MMP9, RARRES2 and TRIM22) from the nine-IRG prognostic model, of which the yellow-green module had the highest correlation with risk scores. The results of GO and KEGG suggested that the genes in the yellow-green module were mainly enriched in immune-related biological processes. Finally, we analyzed the prognostic ability and expression characteristics of ALOX5AP, ARHGAP15, CCL8, FCER1G, GBP4, HCK, MMP9, RARRES2 and TRIM22 in metastatic melanoma. Overall, a prognostic model for metastatic melanoma based on the characteristics of the tumor immune microenvironment was established, which was helpful for further studies.It could function well in helping people to understand the characteristics of the immune microenvironment in metastatic melanoma and to find possible therapeutic targets.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangtao Sun ◽  
Kejian Sun ◽  
Chao Shen

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. Human nuclear receptors (NRs) have been identified to closely related to various cancer. However, the prognostic significance of NRs on HCC patients has not been studied in detail.Method: We downloaded the mRNA profiles and clinical information of 371 HCC patients from TCGA database and analyzed the expression of 48 NRs. The consensus clustering analysis with the mRNA levels of 48 NRs was performed by the "ConsensusClusterPlus". The Univariate cox regression analysis was performed to predict the prognostic significance of NRs on HCC. The risk score was calculated by the prognostic model constructed based on eight optimal NRs which were selected. Then Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether the risk score is an independent prognostic signature. Finally, the nomogram based on multiple independent prognostic factors including risk score and TNM Stage was used to predict the long-term survival of HCC patients.Results: NRs could effectively separate HCC samples with different prognosis. The prognostic model constructed based on the eight optimal NRs (NR1H3, ESR1, NR1I2, NR2C1, NR6A1, PPARD, PPARG and VDR) could effectively predict the prognosis of HCC patients as an independent prognostic signature. Moreover, the nomogram was constructed based on multiple independent prognostic factors including risk score and TNM Stage and could better predict the long-term survival for 3- and 5-year of HCC patients.Conclusion: Our results provided novel evidences that NRs could act as the potential prognostic signatures for HCC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yucheng Qian ◽  
Jingsun Wei ◽  
Wei Lu ◽  
Fangfang Sun ◽  
Maxwell Hwang ◽  
...  

PurposeWe focused on immune-related genes (IRGs) derived from transcriptomic studies, which had the potential to stratify patients’ prognosis and to establish a risk assessment model in colorectal cancer.SummaryThis article examined our understanding of the molecular pathways associated with intratumoral immune response, which represented a critical step for the implementation of stratification strategies toward the development of personalized immunotherapy of colorectal cancer. More and more evidence shows that IRGs play an important role in tumors. We have used data analysis to screen and identify immune-related molecular biomarkers of colon cancer. We selected 18 immune-related prognostic genes and established models to assess prognostic risks of patients, which can provide recommendations for clinical treatment and follow-up. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in human. Several studies have investigated whether IRGs and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) could be indicators of CRC prognoses. This study aimed to develop an improved prognostic signature for CRC based on IRGs to predict overall survival (OS) and provide new therapeutic targets for CRC treatment. Based on the screened IRGs, the Cox regression model was used to build a prediction model based on 18-IRG signature. Cox regression analysis revealed that the 18-IRG signature was an independent prognostic factor for OS in CRC patients. Then, we used the TIMER online database to explore the relationship between the risk scoring model and the infiltration of immune cells, and the results showed that the risk model can reflect the state of TIME to a certain extent. In short, an 18-IRG prognostic signature for predicting CRC patients’ survival was firmly established.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jiaqiong Lin ◽  
Yan Lin ◽  
Zena Huang ◽  
Xiaoyong Li

Background. Immunotherapy offers a novel approach for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma, but the clinical efficiency varies for individual patients. In consideration of the high cost and adverse effects of immunotherapy, it is essential to explore the predictive biomarkers of outcomes. Recently, the tumor mutation burden (TMB) has been proposed as a predictive prognosticator of the immune response. Method. RNA-seq and somatic mutation datasets of 472 cutaneous melanoma patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to analyze mutation type and TMB. Differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified for functional analysis. TMB-related signatures were identified via LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The association between mutants of signatures and immune cells was evaluated from the TIMER database. Furthermore, the Wilcox test was applied to assess the difference in immune infiltration calculated by the CIBERSORT algorithm in risk groupings. Results. C>T substitutions and TTN were the most common SNV and mutated gene, respectively. Patients with low TMB presented poor prognosis. DEGs were mainly implicated in skin development, cell cycle, DNA replication, and immune-associated crosstalk pathways. Furthermore, a prognostic model consisting of eight TMB-related genes was developed, which was found to be an independent risk factor for treatment outcome. The mutational status of eight TMB-related genes was associated with a low level of immune infiltration. In addition, the immune infiltrates of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, NK cells, and M1 macrophages were higher in the low-risk group, while those of M0 and M2 macrophages were higher in the high-risk group. Conclusion. Our study demonstrated that a higher TMB was associated with favorable survival outcome in cutaneous melanoma. Moreover, a close association between prognostic model and immune infiltration was identified, providing a new potential target for immunotherapy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangmin Zhong ◽  
Fangyi Yao ◽  
Ying Cheng ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a complex hematologic malignancy. Survival rate of AML patients is low. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and long-chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in AML tumorigenesis and progression. However, the relationship between lncRNAs and biological characteristics of AML, as well as how lncRNAs influence the prognosis of AML patients, remain unclear. In this study, we identified m6A-related lncRNAs, and analyzed their roles and prognostic values in AML. m6A-related lncRNAs associated with patient prognosis were screened using univariate Cox regression analysis, followed by systematic analysis of the relationship between these genes and AML clinicopathologic and biologic characteristics. Furthermore, we examined the characteristics of tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) using different IncRNA clustering models. Using LASSO regression, we identified the risk signals related to prognosis of AML patients. We then constructed and verified a risk model based on m6A-related lncRNAs for independent prediction of overall survival in AML patients. Our results indicate that risk scores, calculated based on risk-related signaling, were related to the clinicopathologic characteristics of AML and level of immune infiltration. Finally, we examined the expression level of TRAF3IP2-AS1 in patient samples through real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis and in GEO datasets, and we identified SRSF10 as a regulator of TRAF3IP2-AS1 through in vitro assays. Our study shows that m6A-related lncRNAs, evaluated using the risk prediction model, can potentially be used to predict prognosis and design immunotherapy in AML patients.


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