Prognostic Role of ceRNA Network in Immune Infiltration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Increasing evidence supports that competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and tumor immune infiltration act as pivotal players in tumor progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nonetheless, comprehensive analysis focusing on ceRNAs and immune infiltration in HCC is lacking.Methods: RNA and miRNA sequencing information, corresponding clinical annotation, and mutation data of HCC downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) project were employed to identify significant differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs), miRNAs (DEMis), and lncRNAs (DELs) to establish a ceRNA regulatory network. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene ontology (GO) enrichment pathways were analyzed to functionally annotate these DEMs. A multigene-based risk signature was developed utilizing least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method (LASSO) algorithm. Moreover, survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were applied for prognostic value validation. Seven algorithms (TIMER, XCELL, MCPcounter, QUANTISEQ, CIBERSORT, EPIC, and CIBERSORT-ABS) were utilized to characterize tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Finally, the mutation data were analyzed by employing “maftools” package.Results: In total, 136 DELs, 128 DEMis, and 2,028 DEMs were recognized in HCC. A specific lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA network consisting of 3 lncRNAs, 12 miRNAs, and 21 mRNAs was established. A ceRNA-based prognostic signature was established to classify samples into two risk subgroups, which presented excellent prognostic performance. In additional, prognostic risk-clinical nomogram was delineated to assess risk of individual sample quantitatively. Besides, risk score was significantly associated with contexture of TIME and immunotherapeutic targets. Finally, potential interaction between risk score with tumor mutation burden (TMB) was revealed.Conclusion: In this work, comprehensive analyses of ceRNAs coexpression network will facilitate prognostic prediction, delineate complexity of TIME, and contribute insight into precision therapy for HCC.

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Integrated analysis of methylation-driven genes and pretreatment prognostic factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08314-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dongsheng He ◽

Shengyin Liao ◽

Lifang Cai ◽

Weiming Huang ◽

Xuehua Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Prognostic Factors ◽

Risk Score ◽

Prognostic Model ◽

Cox Regression ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Calibration Plot ◽

Clinical Parameters ◽

T Stage

Abstract Background The potential reversibility of aberrant DNA methylation indicates an opportunity for oncotherapy. This study aimed to integrate methylation-driven genes and pretreatment prognostic factors and then construct a new individual prognostic model in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Methods The gene methylation, gene expression dataset and clinical information of HCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methylation-driven genes were screened with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient less than − 0.3 and a P value less than 0.05. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to construct a risk score model and identify independent prognostic factors from the clinical parameters of HCC patients. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) technique was used to construct a nomogram that might act to predict an individual’s OS, and then C-index, ROC curve and calibration plot were used to test the practicability. The correlation between clinical parameters and core methylation-driven genes of HCC patients was explored with Student’s t-test. Results In this study, 44 methylation-driven genes were discovered, and three prognostic signatures (LCAT, RPS6KA6, and C5orf58) were screened to construct a prognostic risk model of HCC patients. Five clinical factors, including T stage, risk score, cancer status, surgical method and new tumor events, were identified from 13 clinical parameters as pretreatment-independent prognostic factors. To avoid overfitting, LASSO analysis was used to construct a nomogram that could be used to calculate the OS in HCC patients. The C-index was superior to that from previous studies (0.75 vs 0.717, 0.676). Furthermore, LCAT was found to be correlated with T stage and new tumor events, and RPS6KA6 was found to be correlated with T stage. Conclusion We identified novel therapeutic targets and constructed an individual prognostic model that can be used to guide personalized treatment in HCC patients.

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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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Integrated Analysis of Methylation-driven Genes and Pretreatment Prognostic Factors in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-101415/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dongsheng He ◽

Lifang Cai ◽

Weiming Huang ◽

Xuehua Xie ◽

Mengxing You ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Prognostic Factors ◽

Risk Score ◽

Prognostic Model ◽

Cox Regression ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Calibration Plot ◽

Clinical Parameters ◽

T Stage

Abstract Background: The potential reversibility of aberrant DNA methylation indicates an opportunity for oncotherapy. This study aimed to integrate methylation-driven genes and pretreatment prognostic factors and then construct a new individual prognostic model in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.Methods: The gene methylation, gene expression dataset and clinical information of HCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methylation-driven genes were screened with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient less than -0.3 and a P value less than 0.05. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to construct a risk score model and identify independent prognostic factors from the clinical parameters of HCC patients. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) technique was used to construct a nomogram that might act to predict an individual’s OS, and then C-index, ROC curve and calibration plot were used to test the practicability. The correlation between clinical parameters and core methylation-driven genes of HCC patients was explored with Student’s t-test.Results: In this study, 44 methylation-driven genes were discovered, and three prognostic signatures (LCAT, RPS6KA6, and C5orf58) were screened to construct a prognostic risk model of HCC patients. Five clinical factors, including T stage, risk score, cancer status, surgical method and new tumor events, were identified from 13 clinical parameters as pretreatment-independent prognostic factors. To avoid overfitting, LASSO analysis was used to construct a nomogram that could be used to calculate the OS in HCC patients. The C-index was superior to that from previous studies (0.75 vs 0.717, 0.676). Furthermore, LCAT was found to be correlated with T stage and new tumor events, and RPS6KA6 was found to be correlated with T stage.Conclusion: We identified novel therapeutic targets and constructed an individual prognostic model that can be used to guide personalized treatment in HCC patients.

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Comprehensive analysis of miRNA sequencing profiles identifies novel deregulated and prognostic biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20213/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hui Zhang ◽

Senmiao Ni ◽

Changxian Li ◽

Haoming Zhou ◽

Jianling Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Risk Groups ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Normal Tissues ◽

Mirna Sequencing ◽

Incident Cases

Abstract Background: Liver cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death and rank sixth in terms of incident cases. We aim to identify a set of miRNAs and a miRNA-based signature related to tumorigenesis and prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We analyzed the miRNA sequencing profiles of 373 HCC patients downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas LIHC program. The isoform quantification profiles were transformed into 5p and 3p mature miRNA names. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs between tumor and adjacent normal tissues were identified by Wald test based on the negative binomial distribution. Prognostic miRNAs associated with overall survival were confirmed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. The miRNA-based signatures were obtained from the linear predictors of cox regression, and the prognostic performance was compared by Harrel’s C-index and revealed by the restricted mean survival (RMS) curve. Results: The selected twelve DE miRNAs showed a good performance to classify tumor tissues from normal tissues. Meanwhile, a miRNA-based prognostic signature of eight mature miRNAs was constructed, which significantly stratified patients into high- vs low-risk groups in terms of overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.11; 95% CI, 2.71-6.24; P<0.001). When integrated with clinical information, the composite miRNA-clinical signature showed improved prognostic accuracy relative to the eight-miRNA signature alone. As we set the follow-up time at 5 years, the estimated RMST difference between low- and high-risk group stratified by miRNA index was 1.39 (95% CI: 0.95-1.83) months, which is lesser than the difference between miRNA-clinical risk groups (1.63, 95%CI: 1.20-2.06). Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the target mRNAs of selected miRNAs were mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways and vital cell biological processes. Conclusions: The proposed DE miRNAs and miRNA-clinical signature are promising biomarkers for discrimination and predicting overall survival respectively in HCC patients. These biomarkers may have significant relevance for development of new drug research and targeting therapies for HCC patients.

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Identification and Validation of a Prognostic Prediction Model of m6A Regulator-Related LncRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences ◽

10.3389/fmolb.2021.784553 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Chen Jin ◽

Rui Li ◽

Tuo Deng ◽

Jialiang Li ◽

Yan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Prediction Model ◽

Risk Score ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

Vital Role ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Consensus Clustering ◽

Prediction Ability ◽

Cox Regression Analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly invasive malignancy prone to recurrence, and patients with HCC have a low 5-year survival rate. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a vital role in the occurrence and development of HCC. N6-methyladenosine methylation (m6A) is the most common modification influencing cancer development. Here, we used the transcriptome of m6A regulators and lncRNAs, along with the complete corresponding clinical HCC patient information obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), to explore the role of m6A regulator-related lncRNA (m6ARlnc) as a prognostic biomarker in patients with HCC. The prognostic m6ARlnc was selected using Pearson correlation and univariate Cox regression analyses. Moreover, three clusters were obtained via consensus clustering analysis and further investigated for differences in immune infiltration, immune microenvironment, and prognosis. Subsequently, nine m6ARlncs were identified with Lasso-Cox regression analysis to construct the prognostic signature m6A-9LPS for patients with HCC in the training cohort (n = 226). Based on m6A-9LPS, the risk score for each case was calculated. Patients were then divided into high- and low-risk subgroups based on the cutoff value set by the X-tile software. m6A-9LPS showed a strong prognosis prediction ability in the validation cohort (n = 116), the whole cohort (n = 342), and even clinicopathological stratified survival analysis. Combining the risk score and clinical characteristics, we established a nomogram for predicting the overall survival (OS) of patients. To further understand the mechanism underlying the m6A-9LPS-based classification of prognosis differences, KEGG and GO enrichment analyses, competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, chemotherapeutic agent sensibility, and immune checkpoint expression level were assessed. Taken together, m6A-9LPS could be used as a precise prediction model for the prognosis of patients with HCC, which will help in individualized treatment of HCC.

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The novel immune-related genes predict the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89747-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lunxu Li ◽

Shilin Xia ◽

Xueying Shi ◽

Xu Chen ◽

Dong Shang

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Risk Score ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Low Risk ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Prediction Ability ◽

Cox Regression Analysis ◽

Immune Related Genes

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main causes of cancer deaths globally. Immunotherapy is becoming increasingly important in the cure of advanced HCC. Thus it is essential to identify biomarkers for treatment response and prognosis prediction. We searched publicly available databases and retrieved 465 samples of genes from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 115 tumor samples from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Meanwhile, we used the ImmPort database to determine the immune-related genes as well. Weighted gene correlation network analysis, Cox regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were used to identify the key immune related genes (IRGs) which are closely related to prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was implemented to explore the difference of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway between Immune high- and low-risk score groups. Finally, we made a prognostic nomogram including Immune-Risk score and other clinicopathologic factors. A total of 318 genes from prognosis related modules were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). 46 genes were strongly linked to prognosis after univariate Cox analysis. We constructed a seven genes prognostic signature which showed powerful prediction ability in both training cohort and testing cohort. 16 significant KEGG pathways were identified between high- and low- risk score groups using GSEA analysis. This study identified and verified seven immune-related prognostic biomarkers for the patients with HCC, which have potential value for immune modulatory and therapeutic targets.

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Expression pattern and prognostic value of N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation key regulators in hepatocellular carcinoma

Mutagenesis ◽

10.1093/mutage/geab032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 369-379

Author(s):

Min Deng ◽

Lin Fang ◽

Shao-Hua Li ◽

Rong-Ce Zhao ◽

Jie Mei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

High Risk ◽

Risk Score ◽

Critical Role ◽

Risk Groups ◽

High Risk Group ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Consensus Clustering ◽

Rna Methylation ◽

M6a Rna Methylation

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still one of the most common malignancies worldwide. The accuracy of biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of HCC and the therapeutic effect is not satisfactory. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation regulators play a crucial role in various tumours. Our research aims further to determine the predictive value of m6A methylation regulators and establish a prognostic model for HCC. In this study, the data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was obtained, and the expression level of 15 genes and survival was examined. Then we identified two clusters of HCC with different clinical factors, constructed prognostic markers and analysed gene set enrichment, proteins’ interaction and gene co-expression. Three subgroups by consensus clustering according to the expression of the 13 genes were identified. The risk score generated by five genes divided HCC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. In addition, we developed a prognostic marker that can identify high-risk HCC. Finally, a novel prognostic nomogram was developed to accurately predict HCC patients’ prognosis. The expression levels of 13 m6A RNA methylation regulators were significantly upregulated in HCC samples. The prognosis of cluster 1 and cluster 3 was worse. Patients in the high-risk group show a poor prognosis. Moreover, the risk score was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. In conclusion, we reveal the critical role of m6A RNA methylation modification in HCC and develop a predictive model based on the m6A RNA methylation regulators, which can accurately predict HCC patients’ prognosis and provide meaningful guidance for clinical treatment.

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Integrated Analysis of the Expression, Prognostic Value, and Relationship with Immune Infiltration of CMTMs in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-891032/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

shitao jiang ◽

Junwei Zhang ◽

Yaoge Liu ◽

Ting Zhang ◽

Lei Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Transmembrane Domain ◽

Bioinformatic Analysis ◽

Tumor Stage ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Immune Infiltration ◽

Normal Tissues ◽

Precision Therapy ◽

High Level

Abstract The chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing (CMTM) family refers to an updated gene family involved in diverse pathophysiological processes. However, the effect exerted by CMTM family members (CMTMs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still elusive. Herein, to elucidate the expression, prognostic value, and immune roles of CMTMs in HCC, a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis was carried out. Our findings showed that CKLF, CMTM1, CMTM3-4, and CMTM7-8 displayed higher mRNA expression levels in HCC tissues than in normal tissues, yet CMTM2, CMTM5, and CMTM6 were lower in HCC tissues. The levels of CMTM1, CMTM2, and CMTM4 were related to tumor stage. Survival analysis showed that high levels of CKLF, CMTM1, CMTM4, and CMTM6-7 were associated with shorter overall survival (OS). Conversely, a high level of CMTM5 in HCC patients was associated with improved OS. We also found that CKLF, CMTM1-4, and CMTM6-7 were closely correlated with immune infiltration in the HCC microenvironment. In conclusion, this study indicates that CMTMs exert a crucial effect on HCC microenvironment remodeling. CKLF, CMTM1, CMTM4, and CMTM6-7 are potential targets of precision therapy, and CMTM5 is a tumor-suppressive gene that was associated with improved survival in HCC patients.

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Development and validation of a novel ten-gene signature predicting prognosis in Hepatocellular carcinoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-46933/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Guanbao Zhou ◽

Genjie Lu ◽

Liang Yang ◽

Yangfang Lu

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Hierarchical Clustering ◽

Risk Score ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Gene Signature ◽

Molecular Biomarkers ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Gene Expression Levels

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer with relatively poor prognosis. Thus, we aimed to identify novel molecular biomarkers to effectively predict the prognosis of HCC patients and eventually guide treatment. Methods: Prognosis-associated genes were determined by Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses using the expression and clinical data of 373 HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and validated in an independent Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. The classification of AML was performed by unsupervised hierarchical clustering of ten gene expression levels. A prognostic risk score was established based on a linear combination of ten gene expression levels using the regression coefficients derived from the multivariate Cox regression models. Results: A total of 183 genes were significantly associated with prognosis in HCC. SLC25A15, RAB8A, GOT2, SORBS2, IL18RAP were top five protective genes, while FHL3, AMD1, DCAF13, UBE2E1, PTDSS2 were top five risk genes in HCC. SLC25A15, GOT2, IL18RAP were significantly down-regulated and DCAF13, PTDSS2 and SORBS2 were significantly up-regulated in the HCC samples and these genes exhibited high accuracy in differentiating HCC tissues from normal liver tissues. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the ten genes discovered three clusters of HCC patients. HCC tumors of cluster1 and 2 were significantly associated with more favourable OS than those of cluster3, cluster2 tumors showed higher pathologic stage than cluster3 tumors. The risk score was predictive of increased mortality rate in HCC patients. Conclusions: The ten-gene signature and the risk score may turn out to be novel molecular biomarkers and stratification of HCC patients to considerably ameliorate the prognostic prediction.

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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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