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Yi Q, Zhu G, Ouyang X, Zhu W, Zhong K, Chen Z, Zhong J. LINC01089 in cancer: multifunctional roles and therapeutic implications. J Transl Med 2024; 22:858. [PMID: 39334363 PMCID: PMC11429488 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05693-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
LINC01089 is a prime example of a long non-coding RNA that plays a pivotal role in the progression of human cancers. The gene encoding this lncRNA is located on 12q24.31. LINC01089 has been demonstrated to exert tumor-suppressive effects in various cancers, including colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma, breast cancer, and osteosarcoma. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma shows significant discrepancies across different studies. In this review, we systematically explore the functions of LINC01089 in human cancers through bioinformatics analysis, clinical studies, animal models, and fundamental experimental research. Furthermore, we delve into the biological mechanisms and functions of LINC01089, and discuss its potential as a future biomarker and therapeutic target in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Yi
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Gangfeng Zhu
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xinting Ouyang
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Weijian Zhu
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Kui Zhong
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zheng Chen
- The First Clinical Medical College, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Jinghua Zhong
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, 128 Jinling Road, Ganzhou, 341000, Jiangxi, China.
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Zhang ZJ, Wei BJ, Liu ZK, Xuan ZF, Zhou L, Zheng SS. Nomogram for prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after liver resection. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2024:S1499-3872(24)00118-8. [PMID: 39332935 DOI: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2024.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy with high mortality. Liver resection (LR) is a curative treatment for early-stage HCC, but the prognosis of HCC patients after LR is unsatisfactory because of tumor recurrence. Prognostic prediction models with great performance are urgently needed. The present study aimed to establish a novel prognostic nomogram to predict tumor recurrence in HCC patients after LR. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 726 HCC patients who underwent LR between October 2011 and December 2016. Patients were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 508) and the testing cohort (n = 218). The protein expression of 14 biomarkers in tumor tissues was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The nomogram predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) was established by a multivariate Cox regression analysis model and was evaluated by calibration curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, time-dependent areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs), and decision curve analyses in both the training and testing cohorts. RESULTS Alpha-fetoprotein [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.013, P = 0.002], portal vein tumor thrombosis (HR = 1.833, P < 0.001), ascites (HR = 2.024, P = 0.014), tumor diameter (HR = 1.075, P < 0.001), E-cadherin (HR = 0.859, P = 0.011), EMA (HR = 1.196, P = 0.022), and PCNA (HR = 1.174, P = 0.031) immunohistochemistry scores were found to be independent factors for RFS. The 1-year and 3-year AUCs of the nomogram for RFS were 0.813 and 0.739, respectively. The patients were divided into the high-risk group and the low-risk group by median value which was generated from the nomogram, and Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the high-risk group had a shorter RFS than the low-risk group in both the training (P < 0.001) and testing cohorts (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our newly developed nomogram integrated clinicopathological data and key gene expression data, and was verified to have high accuracy in predicting the RFS of HCC patients after LR. This model could be used for early identification of patients at high-risk of postoperative recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Jun Zhang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Ba-Jin Wei
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Zhi-Kun Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Westlake University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Ze-Feng Xuan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Shu-Sen Zheng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
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Ghosh S, Zhao X, Alim M, Brudno M, Bhat M. Artificial intelligence applied to 'omics data in liver disease: towards a personalised approach for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Gut 2024:gutjnl-2023-331740. [PMID: 39174307 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-331740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Advancements in omics technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies are fuelling our progress towards personalised diagnosis, prognosis and treatment strategies in hepatology. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of AI methods used for analysis of omics data in liver diseases. We present an overview of the prevalence of different omics levels across various liver diseases, as well as categorise the AI methodology used across the studies. Specifically, we highlight the predominance of transcriptomic and genomic profiling and the relatively sparse exploration of other levels such as the proteome and methylome, which represent untapped potential for novel insights. Publicly available database initiatives such as The Cancer Genome Atlas and The International Cancer Genome Consortium have paved the way for advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the same availability of large omics datasets remains limited for other liver diseases. Furthermore, the application of sophisticated AI methods to handle the complexities of multiomics datasets requires substantial data to train and validate the models and faces challenges in achieving bias-free results with clinical utility. Strategies to address the paucity of data and capitalise on opportunities are discussed. Given the substantial global burden of chronic liver diseases, it is imperative that multicentre collaborations be established to generate large-scale omics data for early disease recognition and intervention. Exploring advanced AI methods is also necessary to maximise the potential of these datasets and improve early detection and personalised treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumita Ghosh
- Transplant AI Initiative, Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xun Zhao
- Transplant AI Initiative, Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mouaid Alim
- Transplant AI Initiative, Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Brudno
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Vector Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mamatha Bhat
- Transplant AI Initiative, Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Liu YJ, Li JX, Li JP, Hu YD, Ma ZB, Huang W, Liu SL, Zou X. Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Protein Complex Regulates Cancer Stem Cells and is Associated with Sorafenib Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2024; 11:1519-1539. [PMID: 39139735 PMCID: PMC11321348 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s474343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic targets. This study aimed to elucidate the role of endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein complex subunit 1 (EMC1) in HCC progression and its therapeutic potential. Methods Publicly available sequencing data and biopsy specimens were analyzed to assess EMC's clinical value and functions in HCC. In vitro experiments validated EMC functions, and multiplex immunofluorescence analysis examined EMC-associated sorafenib resistance mechanisms. EMC1 expression was knocked down in HCC cell lines, followed by cell viability, wound healing, and transwell migration assays. Tumor growth and response to sorafenib treatment were evaluated in mouse models. Metabolomic analysis assessed changes in the TCA cycle. Results EMC genes were aberrantly expressed in HCC, and high EMC1 expression correlated with poorer survival rates. EMC1 disruption enhanced HCC cells' sensitivity to sorafenib, reducing cell viability, increasing apoptosis, and decreasing tumor size and weight. EMC1 maintained cancer cell stemness and promoted M2 macrophage infiltration. Metabolomic analysis revealed significant changes in the TCA cycle, indicating EMC1's role in HCC metabolic reprogramming. Importantly, EMC1 is highly associated with sorafenib resistance, potentially linked to CTNNB1 mutation or activation. Conclusion EMC1 plays a critical role in regulating the sorafenib resistance in HCC. Targeting EMC1 may improve HCC treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Jie Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing-Xiao Li
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie-Pin Li
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yi-Dou Hu
- Zhangjiagang TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, 215600, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Bin Ma
- Nanjing YOUMENG Biology Science and Technology Co. Ltd, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wei Huang
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shen-Lin Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xi Zou
- Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China
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Li Y, Chen Y, Wang D, Wu L, Li T, An N, Yang H. Elucidating the multifaceted role of MGAT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma: integrative single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal novel therapeutic insights. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1442722. [PMID: 39081317 PMCID: PMC11286416 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1442722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Glycosyltransferase-associated genes play a crucial role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis. This study investigates their impact on the tumor microenvironment and molecular mechanisms, offering insights into innovative immunotherapeutic strategies for HCC. Methods We utilized cutting-edge single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to examine HCC heterogeneity. Four single-cell scoring techniques were employed to evaluate glycosyltransferase genes. Spatial transcriptomic findings were validated, and bulk RNA-seq analysis was conducted to identify prognostic glycosyltransferase-related genes and potential immunotherapeutic targets. MGAT1's role was further explored through various functional assays. Results Our analysis revealed diverse cell subpopulations in HCC with distinct glycosyltransferase gene activities, particularly in macrophages. Key glycosyltransferase genes specific to macrophages were identified. Temporal analysis illustrated macrophage evolution during tumor progression, while spatial transcriptomics highlighted reduced expression of these genes in core tumor macrophages. Integrating scRNA-seq, bulk RNA-seq, and spatial transcriptomics, MGAT1 emerged as a promising therapeutic target, showing significant potential in HCC immunotherapy. Conclusion This comprehensive study delves into glycosyltransferase-associated genes in HCC, elucidating their critical roles in cellular dynamics and immune cell interactions. Our findings open new avenues for immunotherapeutic interventions and personalized HCC management, pushing the boundaries of HCC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Department of General Medicine, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Department of General Medicine, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Danqiong Wang
- Department of General Medicine, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Ling Wu
- Tumor Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Tao Li
- Department of General Medicine, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Na An
- Department of General Medicine, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Haikun Yang
- The Gastroenterology Department, Shanxi Provincial People Hospital, Taiyuan, China
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Su L, Luo H, Yan Y, Yang Z, Lu J, Xu D, Du L, Liu J, Yang G, Chi H. Exploiting gender-based biomarkers and drug targets: advancing personalized therapeutic strategies in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1433540. [PMID: 38966543 PMCID: PMC11222576 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1433540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
This review systematically examines gender differences in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), identifying the influence of sex hormones, genetic variance, and environmental factors on the disease's epidemiology and treatment outcomes. Recognizing the liver as a sexually dimorphic organ, we highlight how gender-specific risk factors, such as alcohol consumption and obesity, contribute differently to hepatocarcinogenesis in men and women. We explore molecular mechanisms, including the differential expression of androgen and estrogen receptors, which mediate diverse pathways in tumor biology such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and DNA repair. Our analysis underscores the critical need for gender-specific research in liver cancer, from molecular studies to clinical trials, to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic effectiveness. By incorporating a gender perspective into all facets of liver cancer research, we advocate for a more precise and personalized approach to cancer treatment that acknowledges gender as a significant factor in both the progression of HCC and its response to treatment. This review aims to foster a deeper understanding of the biological and molecular bases of gender differences in HCC and to promote the development of tailored interventions that enhance outcomes for all patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanqian Su
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Huanyu Luo
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Yalan Yan
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Zhongqiu Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, China
| | - Jiaan Lu
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Danqi Xu
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Linjuan Du
- Department of Oncology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, China
| | - Guanhu Yang
- Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States
| | - Hao Chi
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
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Chen C, Chen Z, Zhou Z, Ye H, Xiong S, Hu W, Xu Z, Ge C, Zhao C, Yu D, Shen J. T cell-related ubiquitination genes as prognostic indicators in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1424752. [PMID: 38919610 PMCID: PMC11196398 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1424752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Background T lymphocytes, integral to the adaptive immune system, wield pivotal influence in bolstering anti-tumor responses, and are strictly regulated by ubiquitination modification. The objective of this investigation was to devise a novel prognostic and immunotherapeutic efficacy predictor for hepatocellular carcinoma patients utilizing T cell-related ubiquitination genes (TCRUG). Method The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data and bulk RNA data of HCC patients are derived from the GEO database and TCGA database. Based on the processing of scRNA-seq, T cell marker genes are obtained and TCRUG is obtained. Further combined with WGCNA, differential analysis, univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analysis to filter and screen TCRUG. Finally construct a riskscore for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients, the predictive effect of which is validated in the GEO dataset. In addition, we also studied the correlation between riskscore and immunotherapy efficacy. Finally, the oncogenic role of UBE2E1 in HCC was explored through various in vitro experiments. Result Based on patients' scRNA-seq data, we finally obtained 3050 T cell marker genes. Combined with bulk RNA data and clinical data from the TCGA database, we constructed a riskscore that accurately predicts the prognosis of HCC patients. This riskscore is an independent prognostic factor for HCC and is used to construct a convenient column chart. In addition, we found that the high-risk group is more suitable for immunotherapy. Finally, the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of HCC cells significantly decreased after UBE2E1 expression reduction. Conclusion This study developed a riskscore based on TCRUG that can accurately and stably predict the prognosis of HCC patients. This riskscore is also effective in predicting the immune therapy response of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaobo Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi, China
| | - Zheng Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplantation Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Zheyu Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Ye
- Department of Anesthesiology, ZhongDa Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shaohui Xiong
- Department of Cardiology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
| | - Weidong Hu
- Department of General Surgery, Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi, China
| | - Zipeng Xu
- Department of General Surgery, Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi, China
| | - Chen Ge
- Department of General Surgery, Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi, China
| | - Chunlong Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi, China
| | - Decai Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplantation Surgery, Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiapei Shen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou, China
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Wu G, Zhang J, Peng R, Cao J, Tu D, Zhou J, Su B, Jin S, Jiang G, Zhang C, Bai D. Establishment of a circRNA-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase signature and nomogram to predict immunotherapeutic efficacy and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. Eur J Med Res 2024; 29:318. [PMID: 38858746 PMCID: PMC11163726 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-024-01893-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of malignant tumor where the prognosis is dismal. Circular RNA (CircRNA) is a novel RNA that regulates downstream gene transcription and translation to influence the progression of HCC. However, the regulatory relationship that exists between E3 ligases, which is a class of post-translational modifying proteins, and circRNA remains unclear. METHODS Based on the E3 ubiquitin ligase in the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, a circRNA-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase signature (CRE3UL) was developed. A CRE3UL signature was created using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and Cox regression analysis and merged it with clinicopathologic characteristics to generate a nomogram for prognosis prediction. The pRRophetic algorithm was utilized and immunological checkpoints were analyzed to compare the responses of patients in the high-risk group (HRG) and low-risk group (LRG) to targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Finally, experimental research will further elucidate the relationship between E3 ubiquitin ligase signature and HCC. RESULTS HRG patients were found to have a worse prognosis than LRG patients. Furthermore, significant variations in prognosis were observed among different subgroups based on various clinical characteristics. The CRE3UL signature was identified as being an independent prognostic indicator. The nomogram that combined clinical characteristics and the CRE3UL signature was found to accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients and demonstrated greater clinical utility than the current TNM staging approach. According to anticancer medication sensitivity predictions, the tumors of HRG patients were more responsive to gefitinib and nilotinib. From immune-checkpoint markers analysis, immunotherapy was identified as being more probable to assist those in the HRG. CONCLUSIONS We found a significant correlation between the CRE3UL signature and the tumor microenvironment, enabling precise prognosis prediction for HCC patients. Additionally, a nomogram was developed that performs well in predicting the overall survival (OS) of HCC patients. This provides valuable guidance for clinicians in devising specific personalized treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gefeng Wu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
- Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116000, China
| | - Jiahao Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
- Dalian Medical University, Dalian, 116000, China
| | - Rui Peng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jun Cao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Daoyuan Tu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bingbing Su
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shengjie Jin
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guoqing Jiang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Dousheng Bai
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, 98 West Nantong Rd, Yangzhou, 225000, Jiangsu, China.
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Weng J, Wang Z, Hu Z, Xu W, Sun JL, Wang F, Zhou Q, Liu S, Xu M, Xu M, Gao D, Shen YH, Yi Y, Shi Y, Dong Q, Zhou C, Ren N. Repolarization of Immunosuppressive Macrophages by Targeting SLAMF7-Regulated CCL2 Signaling Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma to Immunotherapy. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1817-1833. [PMID: 38484085 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-3106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have limited efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in HCC, suggesting that a better understanding of the intrinsic processes by which tumor cells regulate macrophages could help identify strategies to improve response to immunotherapy. As signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family members regulate various immune functions, we investigated the role of specific SLAM receptors in the immunobiology of HCC. Comparison of the transcriptomic landscapes of immunotherapy-responsive and nonresponsive patients with advanced HCC identified SLAMF7 upregulation in immunotherapy-responsive HCC, and patients with HCC who responded to immunotherapy also displayed higher serum levels of SLAMF7. Loss of Slamf7 in liver-specific knockout mice led to increased hepatocarcinogenesis and metastasis, elevated immunosuppressive macrophage infiltration, and upregulated PD-1 expression in CD8+ T cells. HCC cell-intrinsic SLAMF7 suppressed MAPK/ATF2-mediated CCL2 expression to regulate macrophage migration and polarization in vitro. Mechanistically, SLAMF7 associated with SH2 domain-containing adaptor protein B (SHB) through its cytoplasmic 304 tyrosine site to facilitate the recruitment of SHIP1 to SLAMF7 and inhibit the ubiquitination of TRAF6, thereby attenuating MAPK pathway activation and CCL2 transcription. Pharmacological antagonism of the CCL2/CCR2 axis potentiated the therapeutic effect of anti-PD-1 antibody in orthotopic HCC mouse models with low SLAMF7 expression. In conclusion, this study highlights SLAMF7 as a regulator of macrophage function and a potential predictive biomarker of immunotherapy response in HCC. Strategies targeting CCL2 signaling to induce macrophage repolarization in HCC with low SLAMF7 might enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE CCL2 upregulation caused by SLAMF7 deficiency in hepatocellular carcinoma cells induces immunosuppressive macrophage polarization and confers resistance to immune checkpoint blockade, providing potential biomarkers and targets to improve immunotherapy response in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialei Weng
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Zhiqiu Hu
- Institute of Fudan-Minhang Academic Health System, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Wenxin Xu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Jia-Lei Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Fu Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Shaoqing Liu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Min Xu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Minghao Xu
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Dongmei Gao
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Ying-Hao Shen
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yong Yi
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yi Shi
- Biomedical Research Centre, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Qiongzhu Dong
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Institute of Fudan-Minhang Academic Health System, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Chenhao Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Ning Ren
- Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Whole-Period Monitoring and Precise Intervention of Digestive Cancer of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Institute of Fudan-Minhang Academic Health System, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
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10
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Tang J, Zhang S, Jiang L, Liu J, Xu J, Jiang C, Chen Z, Zhou X, Fuller C, Huang J, Chen H, Yang G, Bai C, Yin D, Li B, Chi H. Causal relationship between immune cells and hepatocellular carcinoma: a Mendelian randomisation study. J Cancer 2024; 15:4219-4231. [PMID: 38947379 PMCID: PMC11212088 DOI: 10.7150/jca.96744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant malignancy of the digestive tract, ranks as the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality globally, significantly impeding human health and lifespan. Emerging immunotherapeutic approaches have ignited fresh optimism for patient outcomes. This investigation probes the link between 731 immune cell phenotypes and HCC through Mendelian Randomization and single-cell sequencing, aiming to unearth viable drug targets and dissect HCC's etiology. Methods: We conducted an exhaustive two-sample Mendelian Randomization analysis to ascertain the causal links between immune cell features and HCC, utilizing publicly accessible genetic datasets to explore the causal connections of 731 immune cell traits with HCC susceptibility. The integrity, diversity, and potential horizontal pleiotropy of these findings were rigorously assessed through extensive sensitivity analyses. Furthermore, single-cell sequencing was employed to penetrate the pathogenic underpinnings of HCC. Results: Establishing a significance threshold of pval_Inverse.variance.weighted at 0.05, our study pinpointed five immune characteristics potentially elevating HCC risk: B cell % CD3- lymphocyte (TBNK panel), CD25 on IgD+ (B cell panel), HVEM on TD CD4+ (Maturation stages of T cell panel), CD14 on CD14+ CD16- monocyte (Monocyte panel), CD4 on CD39+ activated Treg ( Treg panel). Conversely, various cellular phenotypes tied to BAFF-R expression emerged as protective elements. Single-cell sequencing unveiled profound immune cell phenotype interactions, highlighting marked disparities in cell communication and metabolic activities. Conclusion: Leveraging MR and scRNA-seq techniques, our study elucidates potential associations between 731 immune cell phenotypes and HCC, offering a window into the molecular interplays among cellular phenotypes, and addressing the limitations of mono-antibody therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Tang
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, China
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Shengke Zhang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Lai Jiang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, China
- Department of General Surgery, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou 635000, China
| | - Jiayu Xu
- School of Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081 China
| | - Chenglu Jiang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Zipei Chen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Xuancheng Zhou
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Claire Fuller
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jinbang Huang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Haiqing Chen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Guanhu Yang
- Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens 45701, OH, USA
| | - Changsong Bai
- Department of General Surgery, Xuyong People's Hospital, Luzhou, China
| | - Defeng Yin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, 646000 Luzhou, China
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Xuyong People's Hospital, Luzhou, China
| | - Bo Li
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery), The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Metabolic Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou City, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Sichuan, China
| | - Hao Chi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
- Department of General Surgery, Xuyong People's Hospital, Luzhou, China
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11
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Yang J, Fan LY, Shi KY. Integrated Single-cell and Transcriptome Sequencing Analyses Identified PREX1 as an Immune-related Prognostic Biomarker for Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:1559-1574. [PMID: 38903921 PMCID: PMC11186429 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.94812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: PtdIns (3,4,5) P3-dependent Rac exchanger 1 (PREX1), also known as PREX1, a member of the Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factors (Rac-GEF) family. Studies have suggested that PREX1 plays a role in mediating oncogenic pathway activation and controlling various biological mechanisms in different types of cancer, including liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). However, the function of PREX1 in the pathogenesis of LIHC and its potential role on immunological regulation is not clearly elucidated. Methods: The expression level and the clinical role of PREX1 in LIHC was analyzed based on database from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), TNM plotter and University of Alabama Cancer Database (UALCAN). We investigated the relationship between PREX1 and immunity in LIHC by TISIDB, CIBERSORT and single cell analysis. Immunotherapy responses were assessed by the immunophenoscores (IPS). Moreover, biological functional assays were performed to further investigate the roles of PREX1 in liver cancer cell lines. Results: Higher expression of PREX1 in LIHC tissues than in normal liver tissues was found based on public datasets. Further analysis revealed that PREX1 was associated with worse clinical characteristics and dismal prognosis. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that PREX1 participated in immune-related pathways. Through CIBERSORT and single cell analysis, we found a remarkable correlation between the expression of PREX1 and various immune cells, especially macrophages. In addition, high PREX1 expression was found to be associated with a stronger response to immunotherapy. Furthermore, in vitro assays indicated that depletion of PREX1 can suppress invasion and proliferation of LIHC cells. Conclusion: Elevated expression of PREX1 indicates poor prognosis, influences immune modulation and predicts sensitivity of immunosuppression therapy in LIHC. Our results suggested that PREX1 may be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target, offering new treatment options for LIHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Lin-Yin Fan
- Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310022, China
| | - Kai-Yuan Shi
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
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12
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Chen H, Zuo H, Huang J, Liu J, Jiang L, Jiang C, Zhang S, Hu Q, Lai H, Yin B, Yang G, Mai G, Li B, Chi H. Unravelling infiltrating T-cell heterogeneity in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma: Integrative single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18403. [PMID: 39031800 PMCID: PMC11190954 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) pathogenesis intricately involves immune system dynamics, particularly the role of T cells within the tumour microenvironment. Through a multifaceted approach encompassing single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptome analysis and bulk transcriptome profiling, we systematically explored the contribution of infiltrating T cells to KIRC heterogeneity. Employing high-density weighted gene co-expression network analysis (hdWGCNA), module scoring and machine learning, we identified a distinct signature of infiltrating T cell-associated genes (ITSGs). Spatial transcriptomic data were analysed using robust cell type decomposition (RCTD) to uncover spatial interactions. Further analyses included enrichment assessments, immune infiltration evaluations and drug susceptibility predictions. Experimental validation involved PCR experiments, CCK-8 assays, plate cloning assays, wound-healing assays and Transwell assays. Six subpopulations of infiltrating and proliferating T cells were identified in KIRC, with notable dynamics observed in mid- to late-stage disease progression. Spatial analysis revealed significant correlations between T cells and epithelial cells across varying distances within the tumour microenvironment. The ITSG-based prognostic model demonstrated robust predictive capabilities, implicating these genes in immune modulation and metabolic pathways and offering prognostic insights into drug sensitivity for 12 KIRC treatment agents. Experimental validation underscored the functional relevance of PPIB in KIRC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Our study comprehensively characterizes infiltrating T-cell heterogeneity in KIRC using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptome data. The stable prognostic model based on ITSGs unveils infiltrating T cells' prognostic potential, shedding light on the immune microenvironment and offering avenues for personalized treatment and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiqing Chen
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Haoyuan Zuo
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery)Deyang People's HospitalDeyangChina
| | - Jinbang Huang
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
- Department of General SurgeryDazhou Central HospitalDazhouChina
| | - Lai Jiang
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Chenglu Jiang
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Shengke Zhang
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Qingwen Hu
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Haotian Lai
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Bangchao Yin
- Department of PathologySixth People's Hospital of YibinYibinChina
| | - Guanhu Yang
- Department of Specialty MedicineOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
| | - Gang Mai
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery)Deyang People's HospitalDeyangChina
| | - Bo Li
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
| | - Hao Chi
- School of Clinical Medicine, The Affiliated HospitalSouthwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
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13
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Ren K, Ling X, Chen L, Li Z, Huang T. Prognostic and immunotherapeutic implications of bilirubin metabolism-associated genes in lung adenocarcinoma. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18346. [PMID: 38693853 PMCID: PMC11063731 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a major subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer and accompanies high mortality rates. While the role of bilirubin metabolism in cancer is recognized, its specific impact on LUAD and patient response to immunotherapy needs to be elucidated. This study aimed to develop a prognostic signature of bilirubin metabolism-associated genes (BMAGs) to predict outcomes and efficacy of immunotherapy in LUAD. We analysed gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify survival-related BMAGs and construct a prognostic model in LUAD. The prognostic efficacy of our model was corroborated by employing TCGA-LUAD and five Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, effectively stratifying patients into risk-defined cohorts with marked disparities in survival. The BMAG signature was indeed an independent prognostic determinant, outperforming established clinical parameters. The low-risk group exhibited a more favourable response to immunotherapy, highlighted by increased immune checkpoint expression and immune cell infiltration. Further, somatic mutation profiling differentiated the molecular landscapes of the risk categories. Our screening further identified potential drug candidates preferentially targeting the high-risk group. Our analysis of critical BMAGs showed the tumour-suppressive role of FBP1, highlighting its suppression in LUAD and its inhibitory effects on tumour proliferation, migration and invasion, in addition to its involvement in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation. These findings introduce a potent BMAG-based prognostic indicator and offer valuable insights for prognostication and tailored immunotherapy in LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangqi Ren
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryShenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology)ShenzhenChina
| | - Xiean Ling
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryShenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology)ShenzhenChina
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryShenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology)ShenzhenChina
| | - Zeyao Li
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryShenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology)ShenzhenChina
| | - Tonghai Huang
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryShenzhen People's Hospital (The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University; The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology)ShenzhenChina
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14
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Zhang C, Zhao X, Li F, Qin J, Yang L, Yin Q, Liu Y, Zhu Z, Zhang F, Wang Z, Liang H. Integrating single-cell and multi-omic approaches reveals Euphorbiae Humifusae Herba-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in non-small-cell lung cancer. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18317. [PMID: 38801409 PMCID: PMC11129731 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Euphorbiae Humifusae Herba (EHH) is a pivotal therapeutic agent with diverse pharmacological effects. However, a substantial gap exists in understanding its pharmacological properties and anti-tumour mechanisms. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring EHH's pharmacological properties, identifying NSCLC therapy-associated protein targets, and elucidating how EHH induces mitochondrial disruption in NSCLC cells, offering insights into novel NSCLC treatment strategies. String database was utilized to explore protein-protein interactions. Subsequently, single-cell analysis and multi-omics further unveiled the impact of EHH-targeted genes on the immune microenvironment of NSCLC, as well as their influence on immunotherapeutic responses. Finally, both in vivo and in vitro experiments elucidated the anti-tumour mechanisms of EHH, specifically through the assessment of mitochondrial ROS levels and alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential. EHH exerts its influence through engagement with a cluster of 10 genes, including the apoptotic gene CASP3. This regulatory impact on the immune milieu within NSCLC holds promise as an indicator for predicting responses to immunotherapy. Besides, EHH demonstrated the capability to induce mitochondrial ROS generation and perturbations in mitochondrial membrane potential in NSCLC cells, ultimately leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and consequent apoptosis of tumour cells. EHH induces mitochondrial disruption in NSCLC cells, leading to cell apoptosis to inhibit the progress of NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengcheng Zhang
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaoxue Zhao
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Feng Li
- Department of RheumatologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Jingru Qin
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Qianqian Yin
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Yiyi Liu
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Zhiyao Zhu
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Fei Zhang
- Department of General SurgeryXinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Zhongqi Wang
- Department of Medical OncologyLonghua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShanghaiChina
| | - Haibin Liang
- Department of General SurgeryXinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghaiChina
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15
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Fan R, Liu F, Gong Q, Liu D, Tang S, Shen D. KHDRBS1 as a novel prognostic signaling biomarker influencing hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, immune microenvironment, and drug sensitivity. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1393801. [PMID: 38660302 PMCID: PMC11041018 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1393801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Human tumors pose significant challenges, with targeted therapy against specific molecular targets or signaling pathways being a mainstay alongside surgical resection. Previous studies have implicated KHDRBS1 in the oncogenesis of certain human tumors such as colorectal and prostate cancers, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic target. However, the comprehensive expression pattern of KHDRBS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) warrants further exploration. Methods Integrating and analyzing multi-omics, multi-cohort data from public databases, coupled with clinical samples and molecular biology validation, we elucidate the oncogenic role of KHDRBS1 in HCC progression. Additionally, leveraging HCC single-cell sequencing data, we segregate malignant cells into KHDRBS1-positive and negative subsets, uncovering significant differences in their expression profiles and functional roles. Results Our study identifies KHDRBS1 as a tumor-promoting factor in HCC, with its positivity correlating with tumor progression. Furthermore, we highlight the clinical significance of KHDRBS1-positive malignant cells, aiming to further propel its clinical utility. Conclusion KHDRBS1 plays a key role in HCC development. This study provides crucial insights for further investigation into KHDRBS1 as a therapeutic target in HCC.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/immunology
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism
- Liver Neoplasms/immunology
- Liver Neoplasms/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/pathology
- Liver Neoplasms/metabolism
- Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
- Cell Proliferation
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- Cell Movement
- Prognosis
- Signal Transduction
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism
- Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics
- Male
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Fan
- Xiamen Cell Therapy Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Fahui Liu
- Xiamen Cell Therapy Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Qiming Gong
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, China
- Baise Key Laboratory for Metabolic Diseases (Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities), Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Baise, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Xiamen Cell Therapy Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Shihang Tang
- Xiamen Cell Therapy Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Dongyan Shen
- Xiamen Cell Therapy Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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16
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Rong D, Su Y, Jia D, Zeng Z, Yang Y, Wei D, Lu H, Cao Y. Experimentally validated oxidative stress -associated prognostic signatures describe the immune landscape and predict the drug response and prognosis of SKCM. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1387316. [PMID: 38660305 PMCID: PMC11039952 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1387316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) incidence is continually increasing, with chemotherapy and immunotherapy being among the most common cancer treatment modalities. This study aims to identify novel biomarkers for chemotherapy and immunotherapy response in SKCM and explore their association with oxidative stress. Methods Utilizing TCGA-SKCM RNA-seq data, we employed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) networks to identify six core genes. Gene co-expression analysis and immune-related analysis were conducted, and specific markers associated with oxidative stress were identified using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA). Single-cell analysis revealed the expression patterns of Oxidative Stress-Associated Genes (OSAG) in the tumor microenvironment. TIDE analysis was employed to explore the association between immune therapy response and OSAG, while CIBERSORT was used to analyze the tumor immune microenvironment. The BEST database demonstrated the impact of the Oxidative Stress signaling pathway on chemotherapy drug resistance. Immunohistochemical staining and ROC curve evaluation were performed to assess the protein expression levels of core genes in SKCM and normal samples, with survival analysis utilized to determine their diagnostic value. Results We identified six central genes associated with SKCM metastasis, among which the expression of DSC2 and DSC3 involved in the oxidative stress pathway was closely related to immune cell infiltration. DSC2 influenced drug resistance in SKMC patients. Furthermore, downregulation of DSC2 and DSC3 expression enhanced the response of SKCM patients to immunotherapy. Conclusion This study identified two Oxidative Stress-Associated genes as novel biomarkers for SKCM. Additionally, targeting the oxidative stress pathway may serve as a new strategy in clinical practice to enhance SKCM chemotherapy and sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyun Rong
- Clinical Medical School, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Yushen Su
- Clinical Medical School, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Dechao Jia
- Clinical Medical School, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Zhirui Zeng
- Department of anorectal surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
- School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Duyun, Guizhou, China
| | - Dalong Wei
- Department of Burns, Plastic Surgery and Wound Repair, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Pathology of Baise, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangxi, China
| | - Honguan Lu
- Clinical Medical School, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Clinical Medical School, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
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17
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Huang Q, Zhong X, Li J, Hu R, Yi J, Sun J, Xu Y, Zhou X. Exosomal ncRNAs: Multifunctional contributors to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 173:116409. [PMID: 38460375 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant liver cancer characterized by aggressive progression, unfavorable prognosis, and an increasing global health burden. Therapies that precisely target immunological checkpoints and immune cells have gained significant attention as possible therapeutics in recent years. In truth, the efficacy of immunotherapy is heavily contingent upon the tumor microenvironment (TME). Recent studies have indicated that exosomes serve as a sophisticated means of communication among biomolecules, executing an essential part in the TME of immune suppression. Exosomal non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) can induce the activation of tumor cells and immunosuppressive immune cells that suppress the immune system, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), CD+8 T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and regulatory B cells (Bregs). This cell-cell crosstalk triggered by exosomal ncRNAs promotes tumor proliferation and metastasis, angiogenesis, malignant phenotype transformation, and drug resistance. Hence, it is imperative to comprehend how exosomal ncRNAs regulate tumor cells or immune cells within the TME to devise more comprehensive and productive immunotherapy programs. This study discusses the features of exosomal ncRNAs in HCC and how the activation of the exosomes redefines the tumor's immunosuppressive microenvironment, hence facilitating the advancement of HCC. Furthermore, we also explored the potential of exosomal ncRNAs as a viable biological target or natural vehicle for HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Huang
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao PR China; Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Xin Zhong
- Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Jing Li
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao PR China; Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Rui Hu
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao PR China; Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Jinyu Yi
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao PR China; Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Jialing Sun
- Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Youhua Xu
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macao PR China.
| | - Xiaozhou Zhou
- Department of Liver Disease, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, PR China; Department of Liver Disease, The Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, PR China.
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Zhou Y, Wu W, Cai W, Zhang D, Zhang W, Luo Y, Cai F, Shi Z. Prognostic prediction using a gene signature developed based on exhausted T cells for liver cancer patients. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28156. [PMID: 38533068 PMCID: PMC10963654 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is a solid primary malignancy with poor prognosis. This study discovered key prognostic genes based on T cell exhaustion and used them to develop a prognostic prediction model for LIHC. Methods SingleR's annotations combined with Seurat was used to automatically annotate the single-cell clustering results of the LIHC dataset GSE166635 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and to identify clusters related to exhausted T cells. Patients were classified using ConsensusClusterPlus package. Next, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) package was employed to distinguish key gene module, based on which least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) and multi/univariate cox analysis were performed to construct a RiskScore system. Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) were employed to evaluate the efficacy of the model. To further optimize the risk model, a nomogram capable of predicting immune infiltration and immunotherapy sensitivity in different risk groups was developed. Expressions of genes were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) were performed for analyzing cell functions. Results We obtained 18,413 cells and clustered them into 7 immune and non-immune cell subpopulations. Based on highly variable genes among T cell exhaustion clusters, 3 molecular subtypes (C1, C2 and C3) of LIHC were defined, with C3 subtype showing the highest score of exhausted T cells and a poor prognosis. The Lasso and multivariate cox analysis selected 7 risk genes from the green module, which were closely associated with the C3 subtype. All the patients were divided into low- and high-risk groups based on the medium value of RiskScore, and we found that high-risk patients had higher immune infiltration and immune escape and poorer prognosis. The nomogram exhibited a strong performance for predicting long-term LIHC prognosis. In vitro experiments revealed that the 7 risk genes all had a higher expression in HCC cells, and that both liver HCC cell numbers and cell viability were reduced by knocking down MMP-9. Conclusion We developed a RiskScore model for predicting LIHC prognosis based on the scRNA-seq and RNA-seq data. The RiskScore as an independent prognostic factor could improve the clinical treatment for LIHC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhou
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Wanrui Wu
- Department of Vasointerventional, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Wei Cai
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Dong Zhang
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Yunling Luo
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Fujing Cai
- Department of Infectious, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Zhenjing Shi
- Department of Vasointerventional, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
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Zhang H, Zhang P, Lin X, Tan L, Wang Y, Jia X, Wang K, Li X, Sun D. Integrative single-cell analysis of LUAD: elucidating immune cell dynamics and prognostic modeling based on exhausted CD8+ T cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1366096. [PMID: 38596689 PMCID: PMC11002145 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1366096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in the progression and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the detailed characteristics of LUAD and its associated microenvironment are yet to be extensively explored. This study aims to delineate a comprehensive profile of the immune cells within the LUAD microenvironment, including CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, and myeloid cells. Subsequently, based on marker genes of exhausted CD8+ T cells, we aim to establish a prognostic model for LUAD. Method Utilizing the Seurat and Scanpy packages, we successfully constructed an immune microenvironment atlas for LUAD. The Monocle3 and PAGA algorithms were employed for pseudotime analysis, pySCENIC for transcription factor analysis, and CellChat for analyzing intercellular communication. Following this, a prognostic model for LUAD was developed, based on the marker genes of exhausted CD8+ T cells, enabling effective risk stratification in LUAD patients. Our study included a thorough analysis to identify differences in TME, mutation landscape, and enrichment across varying risk groups. Moreover, by integrating risk scores with clinical features, we developed a new nomogram. The expression of model genes was validated via RT-PCR, and a series of cellular experiments were conducted, elucidating the potential oncogenic mechanisms of GALNT2. Results Our study developed a single-cell atlas for LUAD from scRNA-seq data of 19 patients, examining crucial immune cells in LUAD's microenvironment. We underscored pDCs' role in antigen processing and established a Cox regression model based on CD8_Tex-LAYN genes for risk assessment. Additionally, we contrasted prognosis and tumor environments across risk groups, constructed a new nomogram integrating clinical features, validated the expression of model genes via RT-PCR, and confirmed GALNT2's function in LUAD through cellular experiments, thereby enhancing our understanding and approach to LUAD treatment. Conclusion The creation of a LUAD single-cell atlas in our study offered new insights into its tumor microenvironment and immune cell interactions, highlighting the importance of key genes associated with exhausted CD8+ T cells. These discoveries have enabled the development of an effective prognostic model for LUAD and identified GALNT2 as a potential therapeutic target, significantly contributing to the improvement of LUAD diagnosis and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhang
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Pengpeng Zhang
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | | | - Lin Tan
- Qingdao Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, China
| | - Yuhang Wang
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaoteng Jia
- Clinical School of Thoracic, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Li
- Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Daqiang Sun
- Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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Wu Y, Guo W, Wang T, Liu Y, Mullor MDMR, Rodrìguez RA, Zhao S, Wei R. The comprehensive landscape of prognosis, immunity, and function of the GLI family by pan-cancer and single-cell analysis. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:5123-5148. [PMID: 38498906 PMCID: PMC11006459 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various cancers. However, the roles of the downstream GLI family (GLI1, GLI2, and GLI3) in tumorigenesis remain elusive. This study aimed to unravel the genetic alterations of GLI1/2/3 in cancer and their association with the immune microenvironment and related signaling pathways. Firstly, we evaluated the expression profiles of GLI1/2/3 in different cancer types, analyzed their prognostic and predictive values, and assessed their correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Secondly, we explored the relationships between GLI1/2/3 and genetic mutations, epigenetic modifications, and clinically relevant drugs. Finally, we performed enrichment analysis to decipher the underlying mechanisms of GLI1/2/3 in cancer initiation and progression. Our results revealed that the expression levels of GLI1/2/3 were positively correlated in most cancer tissues, suggesting a cooperative role of these factors in tumorigenesis. We also identified tissue-specific expression patterns of GLI1/2/3, which may reflect the distinct functions of these factors in different cell types. Furthermore, GLI1/2/3 expression displayed significant associations with poor prognosis in several cancers, indicating their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Importantly, we found that GLI1/2/3 modulated the immune microenvironment by regulating the recruitment, activation, and polarization of cancer-associated fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and macrophages. Additionally, functional enrichment analyses indicated that GLI1/2/3 are involved in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Together, our findings shed new light on the roles of GLI1/2/3 in tumorigenesis and provide a potential basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting GLI-mediated signaling pathways in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinteng Wu
- Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Wenliang Guo
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guigang City People’s Hospital, Guigang, Guangxi 537100, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | | | | | - Shijian Zhao
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Cardiovascular Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650102, China
| | - Ruqiong Wei
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
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Zhang W, Qu M, Yin C, Jin Z, Hu Y. Comprehensive analysis of T cell exhaustion related signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in HNSCC. Discov Oncol 2024; 15:56. [PMID: 38430429 PMCID: PMC10908967 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-024-00921-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND T cell exhaustion (TEX) signifies a condition of T cell disorder which implicate the therapeutic benefits and prognostic significance in patients with cancer. However, its role in the Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma (HNSCC) remains incompletely understood. METHODS The detailed data of HNSCC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. We computed the expression scores of four TEX-related pathways and detected gene modules closely linked to these pathways, indicating prognostic significance. Following this, regression analyses were performed to select eight genes for the development of a predictive signature. The predictive capacity of this signature was evaluated. Additionally, we examined the relationships between TEX-related signature risk scores and the effectiveness of immunotherapy as well as drug sensitivity. RESULTS A novel prognostic model, comprising eight TEX-related genes, was established for patients with HNSCC. The prognostic value was further confirmed using additional GEO datasets: GSE65858 and GSE27020. This signature enables the stratification of patients into high- and low- risk groups, each showing distinct survival outcomes and responsiveness to immunotherapy. The low-risk group demonstrated improved prognosis and enhanced efficacy of immunotherapy. In addition, AZD6482, TAF1, Ribociclib, LGK974, PF4708671 and other drugs showed increased sensitivity in the high-risk group based on drug sensitivity values, offering tailored therapeutic recommendations for individuals with various risks profiles. CONCLUSION In conclusion, we developed a novel T cell exhaustion-associated signature, which holds considerable predictive value for both the prognosis of patients with HNSCC and the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Jingzhou Hospital, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Mei Qu
- Department of Oncology, Jingzhou Hospital, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Chun Yin
- Department of Oncology, Jingzhou Hospital, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Zhiliang Jin
- Department of Oncology, Jingzhou Hospital, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Ya Hu
- Department of Pharmacology, Health Science Center, Yangtze University, 1 Nanhuan Road, Jingzhou, 434023, Hubei, China.
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22
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ZHANG YANG, QIN NANNAN, WANG XIJUN, LIANG RUI, LIU QUAN, GENG RUOYI, JIANG TIANXIAO, LIU YUNFEI, LI JINWEI. Glycogen metabolism-mediated intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment influences liver cancer prognosis. Oncol Res 2024; 32:563-576. [PMID: 38361757 PMCID: PMC10865732 DOI: 10.32604/or.2023.029697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Glycogen metabolism plays a key role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the function of glycogen metabolism genes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is still to be elucidated. Single-cell RNA-seq data were obtained from ten HCC tumor samples totaling 64,545 cells, and 65 glycogen metabolism genes were analyzed by a nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). The prognosis and immune response of new glycogen TME cell clusters were predicted by using HCC and immunotherapy cohorts from public databases. HCC single-cell analysis was divided into fibroblasts, NT T cells, macrophages, endothelial cells, and B cells, which were separately divided into new cell clusters by glycogen metabolism gene annotation. Pseudo-temporal trajectory analysis demonstrated the temporal differentiation trajectory of different glycogen subtype cell clusters. Cellular communication analysis revealed extensive interactions between endothelial cells with glycogen metabolizing TME cell-related subtypes and different glycogen subtype cell clusters. SCENIC analysis of transcription factors upstream of TME cell clusters with different glycogen metabolism. In addition, TME cell clusters of glycogen metabolism were found to be enriched in expression in CAF subtypes, CD8 depleted, M1, and M2 types. Bulk-seq analysis showed the prognostic significance of glycogen metabolism-mediated TME cell clusters in HCC, while a significant immune response was found in the immunotherapy cohort in patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), especially for CAFs, T cells, and macrophages. In summary, our study reveals for the first time that glycogen metabolism mediates intercellular communication in the hepatocellular carcinoma microenvironment while elucidating the anti-tumor mechanisms and immune prognostic responses of different subtypes of cell clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- YANG ZHANG
- Graduate School, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650000, China
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital, Affiliated Cardiovascular Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650000, China
| | - NANNAN QIN
- Department of Gynecology Oncology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Liuzhou, 545000, China
| | - XIJUN WANG
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xianning Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, 437100, China
| | - RUI LIANG
- College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400030, China
| | - QUAN LIU
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Liuzhou, 545000, China
| | - RUOYI GENG
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - TIANXIAO JIANG
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - YUNFEI LIU
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - JINWEI LI
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Liuzhou, 545000, China
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Peng W, Li Y, Cheng B, Cao M, Liu L, Yang Y, Bai S, Xiong S, Chen W, Zhao Y. Liquid-liquid phase separation-related lncRNA prognostic signature and ZNF32-AS2 as a novel biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma. Comput Biol Med 2024; 169:107975. [PMID: 38199212 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.107975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) enhances oncogenic signaling pathways and advances cancer progression, and has been proposed as a promising cancer biomarker and intervention target. Nevertheless, doubts remain about the prognostic importance of LLPS-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS An LLPS-related lncRNA prognostic signature was generated by drivers and regulators of LLPS, and was validated in external datasets. The underlying genetic changes and functional enrichment of the signature were assessed. The drug sensitivity and response to immunotherapy were predicted in patients categorized as high-risk and low-risk. Clinical samples, phase separation agonist, and dispersant were used to identify lncRNAs with the most significant expression change. Cancer cells with ZNF32-AS2 expression regulation were subjected to colony formation assay, scratch test assay, migration and invasion assay, sorafenib resistance assay, and xenograft tumor model. RESULTS The signature of LLPS-related hub lncRNAs identified through Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis showed outstanding performance in training and external validation cohorts consistently, and the molecular characteristics varied between different risk groups. Potential drugs for high-risk individuals were identified, and low-risk individuals demonstrated a more favorable reaction to immunotherapy. ZNF32-AS2 showed the most significant expression change in phase separation agonist and dispersant treatment. ZNF32-AS2 promoted the proliferation, mobility, and sorafenib resistance of liver cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS The LLPS-related lncRNA signature may help assess prognosis and predict treatment efficacy in clinical settings. LLPS-related ZNF32-AS2 promoted the proliferation, mobility, and sorafenib resistance of liver cancer cells, and may be a novel potential biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wang Peng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yanling Li
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Bin Cheng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Mengdie Cao
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Luyao Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yilei Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Shuya Bai
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Si Xiong
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yuchong Zhao
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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Liu X, Xu F, Zhao K, Liu Y, Ye G, Zhang X, Qu Y. Comprehending the cuproptosis and cancer-immunity cycle network: delving into the immune landscape and its predictive role in breast cancer immunotherapy responses and clinical endpoints. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1344023. [PMID: 38312844 PMCID: PMC10834629 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1344023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The role of cuproptosis, a phenomenon associated with tumor metabolism and immunological identification, remains underexplored, particularly in relation to the cancer-immunity cycle (CIC) network. This study aims to rigorously examine the impact of the cuproptosis-CIC nexus on immune reactions and prognostic outcomes in patients with breast cancer (BC), striving to establish a comprehensive prognostic model. Methods In the study, we segregated data obtained from TCGA, GEO, and ICGC using CICs retrieved from the TIP database. We constructed a genetic prognostic framework using the LASSO-Cox model, followed by its validation through Cox proportional hazards regression. This framework's validity was further confirmed with data from ICGC and GEO. Explorations of the tumor microenvironment were carried out through the application of ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms, as well as machine learning techniques, to identify potential treatment strategies. Single-cell sequencing methods were utilized to delineate the spatial distribution of key genes within the various cell types in the tumor milieu. To explore the critical role of the identified CICs, experiments were conducted focusing on cell survival and migration abilities. Results In our research, we identified a set of 4 crucial cuproptosis-CICs that have a profound impact on patient longevity and their response to immunotherapy. By leveraging these identified CICs, we constructed a predictive model that efficiently estimates patient prognoses. Detailed analyses at the single-cell level showed that the significance of CICs. Experimental approaches, including CCK-8, Transwell, and wound healing assays, revealed that the protein HSPA9 restricts the growth and movement of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, our studies using immunofluorescence techniques demonstrated that suppressing HSPA9 leads to a notable increase in ceramide levels. Conclusion This research outlines a network of cuproptosis-CICs and constructs a predictive nomogram. Our model holds great promise for healthcare professionals to personalize treatment approaches for individuals with breast cancer. The work provides insights into the complex relationship between the cuproptosis-CIC network and the cancer immune microenvironment, setting the stage for novel approaches to cancer immunotherapy. By focusing on the essential gene HSPA9 within the cancer-immunity cycle, this strategy has the potential to significantly improve the efficacy of treatments against breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangwei Liu
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Feng Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Kunkun Zhao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Foresea Life Insurance Guangzhou General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Guolin Ye
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Yanyu Qu
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
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Wang Y, Song X, Jin M, Lu J. Characterization of the Immune Microenvironment and Identification of Biomarkers in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps Using Single-Cell RNA Sequencing and Transcriptome Analysis. J Inflamm Res 2024; 17:253-277. [PMID: 38229690 PMCID: PMC10790669 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s440409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Chronic rhinosinusitis is a prevalent condition in the field of otorhinolaryngology; however, its pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. The immunological defense of the nasal mucosa is significantly influenced by dendritic cells (DCs). We identified specific biological indicators linked to DCs and explored their significance in cases of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Patients and Methods We categorized cells using single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing, and combined transcriptome sequencing was used to identify potential candidate genes for CRSwNP. We selected three biomarkers based on two algorithms and performed enrichment and immune correlation analyses. Biomarkers were verified using training and validation sets, receiver operating characteristic curves, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Variations in biomarker expression were validated using pseudotime analysis. The networks of competing transcription factor (TF)-mRNA and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) were established, and the protein drugs associated with these biomarkers were predicted. Results Both scRNA-seq and transcriptome data showed that DCs immune infiltration was higher in the CRSwNP group than in the control group. Three DC-related biomarkers (NR4A1, CLEC4G, and CD163) were identified. In CRSwNP, NR4A1 expression decreased, whereas CLEC4G and CD163 expression increased. All biomarkers were shown to be involved in immunological and metabolic pathways by enrichment analysis. These biomarkers were associated with γδ T cells, effector memory CD4 + T cells, regulatory T cells, and immature DCs. According to pseudotime analysis, NR4A1 and CD163 expression decreased from high to low, whereas CLEC4G expression remained low. Conclusion We screened and identified potential DC-associated biomarkers of CRSwNP progression by integrating scRNA-seq with whole transcriptome sequencing. We analyzed the biological pathways in which they were involved, explored their molecular regulatory mechanisms and related drugs, and constructed ceRNA, TF-mRNA, and biomarker-drug networks to identify new CRSwNP treatment targets, laying the groundwork for the clinical management of CRSwNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yakun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinyu Song
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mulan Jin
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun Lu
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100020, People’s Republic of China
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Duan SL, Jiang Y, Li GQ, Fu W, Song Z, Li LN, Li J. Research insights into the chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing family (CMTM): their roles in various tumors. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16757. [PMID: 38223763 PMCID: PMC10787544 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The chemokine-like factor (CKLF)-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing (CMTM) family includes CMTM1-8 and CKLF, and they play key roles in the hematopoietic, immune, cardiovascular, and male reproductive systems, participating in the physiological functions, cancer, and other diseases associated with these systems. CMTM family members activate and chemoattract immune cells to affect the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells through a similar mechanism, the structural characteristics typical of chemokines and transmembrane 4 superfamily (TM4SF). In this review, we discuss each CMTM family member's chromosomal location, involved signaling pathways, expression patterns, and potential roles, and mechanisms of action in pancreatic, breast, gastric and liver cancers. Furthermore, we discuss several clinically applied tumor therapies targeted at the CMTM family, indicating that CMTM family members could be novel immune checkpoints and potential targets effective in tumor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai-Li Duan
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
| | - Yingke Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
| | - Guo-Qing Li
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
| | - Weijie Fu
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
| | - Zewen Song
- Department of Oncology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha Province, Hunan, China
| | - Li-Nan Li
- Department of Oncology, The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Jia Li
- Department of Oncology, The 1st Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
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Wu Y, Zhao S, Guo W, Liu Y, Requena Mullor MDM, Rodrìguez RA, Wei R. Systematic analysis of the prognostic value and immunological function of LTBR in human cancer. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:129-152. [PMID: 38175686 PMCID: PMC10817409 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTBR) is a positive T cell proliferation regulator gene. It is closely associated with the tumor immune microenvironment. However, its role in cancer and immunotherapy is unclear. Firstly, the expression level and prognostic value of LTBR were analyzed. Secondly, the expression of LTBR in clinical stages, immune subtypes, and molecular subtypes was analyzed. The correlation between LTBR and immune regulatory genes, immune checkpoint genes, and RNA modification genes was then analyzed. Correlations between LTBR and immune cells, scores, cancer-related functional status, tumor stemness index, mismatch repair (MMR) genes, and DNA methyltransferase were also analyzed. In addition, we analyzed the role of LTBR in DNA methylation, mutational status, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used to explore the role of LTBR in pan-cancer. Finally, the drugs associated with LTBR were analyzed. The expression of LTBR was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot. LTBR is significantly overexpressed in most cancers and is associated with low patient survival. In addition, LTBR expression was strongly correlated with immune cells, score, cancer-related functional status, tumor stemness index, MMR genes, DNA methyltransferase, DNA methylation, mutational status, TMB, and MSI. Enrichment analysis revealed that LTBR was associated with apoptosis, necroptosis, and immune-related pathways. Finally, multiple drugs targeting LTBR were identified. LTBR is overexpressed in several tumors and is associated with a poor prognosis. It is related to immune-related genes and immune cell infiltration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinteng Wu
- Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Shijian Zhao
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | - Wenliang Guo
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Eighth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Guigang, Guangxi 537100, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
| | | | | | - Ruqiong Wei
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China
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Zhang X, Sun X, Guo C, Li J, Liang G. Cancer-associated fibroblast-associated gene IGFBP2 promotes glioma progression through induction of M2 macrophage polarization. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2024; 326:C252-C268. [PMID: 37982173 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00234.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
We elucidated the molecular mechanism of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-associated gene insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP2)-induced M2 macrophage polarization in the tumor microenvironment involved in glioma progression. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) provided bulk RNA-sequencing datasets, ESTIMATE scores for glioma stromal cells, and overall survival-clinicopathological correlation analyses. TIMER provided CAF abundance in the TCGA glioma-related dataset, differential gene analysis was performed for high- and low-CAF groups, and weighted gene coexpression network analysis identified CAF-related genes. Univariate and multifactorial cyclooxygenase (COX) regression analyses created the CAF risk models single sample gene set enrichment analysis, CIBERSORT, and GSE84465. Mice were implanted with gliomas, and Western blot and RT-quantitative PCR showed IGFBP2 in tumor tissues. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) decreased IGFBP2, flow cytometry measured M1 and M2 macrophage ratios, and immunohistochemistry detected markers. TCGA and CGGA transcriptome data showed malignant gliomas had higher stromal cell scores and worse prognoses. Low- and high-CAF TCGA gliomas were detected, and differential expression, WGCNA, and multifactorial COX identified 132 CAF-related genes and seven high-risk genes (CPQ, EFEMP2, IGFBP2, RAB42, TNFRSF12A, and VASN). Neither CAF risk score, grade, nor 1p/19q affected glioma prognosis. CAF only enriched EFEMP2 and IGFBP2. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis compared EFEMP2 and IGFBP2 expression in normal brain tissue and gliomas. Low-grade glioma and malignant glioblastoma highly expressed IGFBP2 and EFEMP2. GSEA raised IGFBP2. CIBERSORT linked M2 macrophage infiltration to TCGA glioma immune cell subpopulation IGFBP2 expression. IGFBP2 knockdown stopped mouse glioma and M2 macrophage polarization. CAF plays a procarcinogenic role in glioma, and the CAF-related gene IGFBP2 could promote glioma progression by inducing M2 macrophage polarization.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-related gene insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP2) is highly expressed in gliomas and is associated with poor prognosis. CAF-related gene IGFBP2 promotes glioma progression by inducing polarization of M2 macrophages. This study provides a new basis for an in-depth investigation of the functional mechanisms of the glioma tumor microenvironment and the search for key genes involved in immune regulation in CAF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobin Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of the Northern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaolin Sun
- Department of Radiation, Affiliated Central Hospital of Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
| | - Chen Guo
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of the Northern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shenyang, China
| | - Jianan Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of the Northern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shenyang, China
| | - Guobiao Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of the Northern Theater Command of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Shenyang, China
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Zhang S, Jiang C, Jiang L, Chen H, Huang J, Gao X, Xia Z, Tran LJ, Zhang J, Chi H, Yang G, Tian G. Construction of a diagnostic model for hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma using machine learning and artificial neural networks and revealing the correlation by immunoassay. Tumour Virus Res 2023; 16:200271. [PMID: 37774952 PMCID: PMC10638043 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvr.2023.200271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
HBV infection profoundly escalates hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility, responsible for a majority of HCC cases. HBV-driven immune-mediated hepatocyte impairment significantly fuels HCC progression. Regrettably, inconspicuous early HCC symptoms often culminate in belated diagnoses. Nevertheless, surgically treated early-stage HCC patients relish augmented five-year survival rates. In contrast, advanced HCC exhibits feeble responses to conventional interventions like radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, leading to diminished survival rates. This investigation endeavors to unearth diagnostic hallmark genes for HBV-HCC leveraging a bioinformatics framework, thus refining early HBV-HCC detection. Candidate genes were sieved via differential analysis and Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Employing three distinct machine learning algorithms unearthed three feature genes (HHIP, CXCL14, and CDHR2). Melding these genes yielded an innovative Artificial Neural Network (ANN) diagnostic blueprint, portending to alleviate patient encumbrance and elevate life quality. Immunoassay scrutiny unveiled accentuated immune damage in HBV-HCC patients relative to solitary HCC. Through consensus clustering, HBV-HCC was stratified into two subtypes (C1 and C2), the latter potentially indicating milder immune impairment. The diagnostic model grounded in these feature genes showcased robust and transferrable prognostic potentialities, introducing a novel outlook for early HBV-HCC diagnosis. This exhaustive immunological odyssey stands poised to expedite immunotherapeutic curatives' emergence for HBV-HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengke Zhang
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Chenglu Jiang
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Lai Jiang
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Haiqing Chen
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Jinbang Huang
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Xinrui Gao
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Zhijia Xia
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Lisa Jia Tran
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Jing Zhang
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, 57069, USA
| | - Hao Chi
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China.
| | - Guanhu Yang
- Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, 45701, USA.
| | - Gang Tian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China.
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Shi T, Li M, Yu Y. Machine learning-enhanced insights into sphingolipid-based prognostication: revealing the immunological landscape and predictive proficiency for immunomotherapy and chemotherapy responses in pancreatic carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1284623. [PMID: 38028544 PMCID: PMC10643633 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1284623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: With a poor prognosis for affected individuals, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is known as a complicated and diverse illness. Immunocytes have become essential elements in the development of PAAD. Notably, sphingolipid metabolism has a dual function in the development of tumors and the invasion of the immune system. Despite these implications, research on the predictive ability of sphingolipid variables for PAAD prognosis is strikingly lacking, and it is yet unclear how they can affect PAAD immunotherapy and targeted pharmacotherapy. Methods: The investigation process included SPG detection while also being pertinent to the prognosis for PAAD. Both the analytical capability of CIBERSORT and the prognostic capability of the pRRophetic R package were used to evaluate the immunological environments of the various HCC subtypes. In addition, CCK-8 experiments on PAAD cell lines were carried out to confirm the accuracy of drug sensitivity estimates. The results of these trials, which also evaluated cell survival and migratory patterns, confirmed the usefulness of sphingolipid-associated genes (SPGs). Results: As a result of this thorough investigation, 32 SPGs were identified, each of which had a measurable influence on the dynamics of overall survival. This collection of genes served as the conceptual framework for the development of a prognostic model, which was carefully assembled from 10 chosen genes. It should be noted that this grouping of patients into cohorts with high and low risk was a sign of different immune profiles and therapy responses. The increased abundance of SPGs was identified as a possible sign of inadequate responses to immune-based treatment approaches. The careful CCK-8 testing carried out on PAAD cell lines was of the highest importance for providing clear confirmation of drug sensitivity estimates. Conclusion: The significance of Sphingolipid metabolism in the complex web of PAAD development is brought home by this study. The novel risk model, built on the complexity of sphingolipid-associated genes, advances our understanding of PAAD and offers doctors a powerful tool for developing personalised treatment plans that are specifically suited to the unique characteristics of each patient.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yabin Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Huaian No 1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Huaian, China
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Zhang B, Chen X, Wang Z, Guo F, Zhang X, Huang B, Ma S, Xia S, Shang D. Identifying endoplasmic reticulum stress-related molecular subtypes and prognostic model for predicting the immune landscape and therapy response in pancreatic cancer. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:10549-10579. [PMID: 37815881 PMCID: PMC10599750 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is caused by the accumulation of intracellular misfolded or unfolded proteins and is associated with cancer development. In this study, pan-cancer analysis revealed complex genetic variations, including copy number variation, methylation, and somatic mutations for ERS-related genes (ERGs) in 33 kinds of cancer. Consensus clustering divided pancreatic cancer (PC) patients from TCGA and GEO databases into two ERS-related subtypes: ERGcluster A and B. Compared with ERGcluster A, ERGcluster B had a more active ERS state and worse prognosis. Subsequently, the ERS-related prognostic model was established to quantify the ERS score for a single sample. The patient with a low ERS score had remarkably longer survival times. ssGSEA and CIBERSORT algorithms revealed that activated B cells and CD8+ T cells had higher infiltration in the low ERS score group, but higher infiltration of activated CD4+ T cells, activated dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in the high ERS score group. Drug sensitivity analysis indicated the low ERS score group had a better response to gemcitabine, paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. RT-qPCR validated that MET, MUC16, and KRT7 in the model had higher expression levels in pancreatic tumour tissues. Single-cell analysis further revealed that MET, MUC16, and KRT7 were mainly expressed in cancer cells in PC tumour microenvironment. In all, we first constructed the ERS-related molecular subtypes and prognostic model in PC. Our research highlighted the vital role of ERS in PC and contributed to further research on molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic strategies for PC in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Zhizhou Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Fangyue Guo
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiaonan Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Bingqian Huang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shurong Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shilin Xia
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Dong Shang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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Liu Y, Liu N, Zhou X, Zhao L, Wei W, Hu J, Luo Z. Constructing a prognostic model for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma based on glucose metabolism related genes. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1245629. [PMID: 37876534 PMCID: PMC10591078 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1245629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Glucose metabolism (GM) plays a crucial role in cancer cell proliferation, tumor growth, and survival. However, the identification of glucose metabolism-related genes (GMRGs) for effective prediction of prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is still lacking. Methods We conducted differential analysis between HNSC and Normal groups to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Key module genes were obtained using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Intersection analysis of DEGs, GMRGs, and key module genes identified GMRG-DEGs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to screen prognostic-associated genes. Independent prognostic analysis of clinical traits and risk scores was implemented using Cox regression. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore functional pathways and genes between high- and low-risk groups. Immune infiltration analysis compared immune cells between the two groups in HNSC samples. Drug prediction was performed using the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database. Quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR (qRT-PCR) validated the expression levels of prognosis-related genes in HNSC patients. Results We identified 4973 DEGs between HNSC and Normal samples. Key gene modules, represented by black and brown module genes, were identified. Intersection analysis revealed 76 GMRG-DEGs. Five prognosis-related genes (MTHFD2, CDKN2A, TPM2, MPZ, and DNMT1) were identified. A nomogram incorporating age, lymph node status (N), and risk score was constructed for survival prediction in HNSC patients. Immune infiltration analysis showed significant differences in five immune cell types (Macrophages M0, memory B cells, Monocytes, Macrophages M2, and Dendritic resting cells) between the high- and low-risk groups. GDSC database analysis identified 53 drugs with remarkable differences between the groups, including A.443654 and AG.014699. DNMT1 and MTHFD2 were up-regulated, while MPZ was down-regulated in HNSC. Conclusion Our study highlights the significant association of five prognosis-related genes (MTHFD2, CDKN2A, TPM2, MPZ, and DNMT1) with HNSC. These findings provide further evidence of the crucial role of GMRGs in HNSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Nana Liu
- Department of Onclogy, People’s Hospital of Chongqing Hechuan, Chongqing, China
| | - Xue Zhou
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Lingqiong Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Hu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhibin Luo
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
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Zhang P, Zhang H, Tang J, Ren Q, Zhang J, Chi H, Xiong J, Gong X, Wang W, Lin H, Li J, Huang C. The integrated single-cell analysis developed an immunogenic cell death signature to predict lung adenocarcinoma prognosis and immunotherapy. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:10305-10329. [PMID: 37796202 PMCID: PMC10599752 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on immunogenic cell death (ICD) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has been relatively limited. This study aims to create ICD-related signatures for accurate survival prognosis prediction in LUAD patients, addressing the challenge of lacking reliable early prognostic indicators for this type of cancer. METHODS Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, ICD activity in cells was calculated by AUCell algorithm, divided into high- and low-ICD groups according to median values, and key ICD regulatory genes were identified through differential analysis, and these genes were integrated into TCGA data to construct prognostic signatures using LASSO and COX regression analysis, and multi-dimensional analysis of ICD-related signatures in terms of prognosis, immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment (TME), and mutational landscape. RESULTS The constructed signature reveals a pronounced disparity in prognosis between the high- and low-risk groups of LUAD patients. The statistical discrepancies in survival times among LUAD patients from both the TCGA and GEO databases further corroborate this observation. Additionally, heightened levels of immune cell infiltration expression are evidenced in the low-risk group, suggesting a potential benefit from immunotherapeutic interventions for these patients. The expression levels of pivotal risk-associated genes in tissue samples were assessed utilizing qRT-PCR, thereby unveiling PITX3 as a plausible therapeutic target in the context of LUAD. CONCLUSIONS Our constructed ICD-related signatures provide help in predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy of LUAD patients, and to some extent guide the clinical treatment of LUAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Haotian Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Junjie Tang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qianhe Ren
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jieying Zhang
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Hao Chi
- Clinical Medical College, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jingwen Xiong
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xiangjin Gong
- Department of Sports Rehabilitation, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haoran Lin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chenjun Huang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Zou L, Meng L, Xu Y, Wang K, Zhang J. Revealing the diagnostic value and immune infiltration of senescence-related genes in endometriosis: a combined single-cell and machine learning analysis. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1259467. [PMID: 37860112 PMCID: PMC10583561 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1259467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Endometriosis is a prevalent and recurrent medical condition associated with symptoms such as pelvic discomfort, dysmenorrhea, and reproductive challenges. Furthermore, it has the potential to progress into a malignant state, significantly impacting the quality of life for affected individuals. Despite its significance, there is currently a lack of precise and non-invasive diagnostic techniques for this condition. Methods: In this study, we leveraged microarray datasets and employed a multifaceted approach. We conducted differential gene analysis, implemented weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and utilized machine learning algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, and LASSO analysis, to comprehensively explore senescence-related genes (SRGs) associated with endometriosis. Discussion: Our comprehensive analysis, which also encompassed profiling of immune cell infiltration and single-cell analysis, highlights the therapeutic potential of this gene assemblage as promising targets for alleviating endometriosis. Furthermore, the integration of these biomarkers into diagnostic protocols promises to enhance diagnostic precision, offering a more effective diagnostic journey for future endometriosis patients in clinical settings. Results: Our meticulous investigation led to the identification of a cluster of genes, namely BAK1, LMNA, and FLT1, which emerged as potential discerning biomarkers for endometriosis. These biomarkers were subsequently utilized to construct an artificial neural network classifier model and were graphically represented in the form of a Nomogram.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian Zou
- Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chongging University Central Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Lou Meng
- Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chongging University Central Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Xu
- Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Chongging University Central Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Kana Wang
- Department of Gynecology, West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiawen Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Zhang S, Jiang C, Jiang L, Chen H, Huang J, Zhang J, Wang R, Chi H, Yang G, Tian G. Uncovering the immune microenvironment and molecular subtypes of hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis and developing stable a diagnostic differential model by machine learning and artificial neural networks. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1275897. [PMID: 37808522 PMCID: PMC10556489 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1275897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis (HBV-LC) is a common clinical disease that evolves from chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The development of cirrhosis can be suppressed by pharmacological treatment. When CHB progresses to HBV-LC, the patient's quality of life decreases dramatically and drug therapy is ineffective. Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment, but the lack of donor required for transplantation, the high cost of the procedure and post-transplant rejection make this method unsuitable for most patients. Methods: The aim of this study was to find potential diagnostic biomarkers associated with HBV-LC by bioinformatics analysis and to classify HBV-LC into specific subtypes by consensus clustering. This will provide a new perspective for early diagnosis, clinical treatment and prevention of HCC in HBV-LC patients. Two study-relevant datasets, GSE114783 and GSE84044, were retrieved from the GEO database. We screened HBV-LC for feature genes using differential analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and three machine learning algorithms including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), and random forest (RF) for a total of five methods. After that, we constructed an artificial neural network (ANN) model. A cohort consisting of GSE123932, GSE121248 and GSE119322 was used for external validation. To better predict the risk of HBV-LC development, we also built a nomogram model. And multiple enrichment analyses of genes and samples were performed to understand the biological processes in which they were significantly enriched. And the different subtypes of HBV-LC were analyzed using the Immune infiltration approach. Results: Using the data downloaded from GEO, we developed an ANN model and nomogram based on six feature genes. And consensus clustering of HBV-LC classified them into two subtypes, C1 and C2, and it was hypothesized that patients with subtype C2 might have milder clinical symptoms by immune infiltration analysis. Conclusion: The ANN model and column line graphs constructed with six feature genes showed excellent predictive power, providing a new perspective for early diagnosis and possible treatment of HBV-LC. The delineation of HBV-LC subtypes will facilitate the development of future clinical treatment of HBV-LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengke Zhang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Chenglu Jiang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Lai Jiang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Haiqing Chen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jinbang Huang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jieying Zhang
- First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of General Surgery (Hepatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, China
- Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, China
| | - Hao Chi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Guanhu Yang
- Department of Specialty Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, United States
| | - Gang Tian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Luzhou, China
- Sichuan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases, Luzhou, China
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Zhang B, Sun J, Guan H, Guo H, Huang B, Chen X, Chen F, Yuan Q. Integrated single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing revealed the molecular characteristics and prognostic roles of neutrophils in pancreatic cancer. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:9718-9742. [PMID: 37728418 PMCID: PMC10564426 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer, one of the most prevalent tumors of the digestive system, has a dismal prognosis. Cancer of the pancreas is distinguished by an inflammatory tumor microenvironment rich in fibroblasts and different immune cells. Neutrophils are important immune cells that infiltrate the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer tumors. The purpose of this work was to examine the complex mechanism by which neutrophils influence the carcinogenesis and development of pancreatic cancer and to construct a survival prediction model based on neutrophil marker genes. We incorporated the GSE111672 dataset, comprising RNA expression data from 27,000 cells obtained from 3 patients with PC, and conducted single-cell data analysis. Thorough investigation of pancreatic cancer single-cell RNA sequencing data found 350 neutrophil marker genes. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), GSE28735, GSE62452, GSE57495, and GSE85916 datasets to gather pancreatic cancer tissue transcriptome data, and consistent clustering was used to identify two categories for analyzing the influence of neutrophils on pancreatic cancer. Using the Random Forest algorithm and Cox regression analysis, a survival prediction model for pancreatic cancer was developed, the model showed independent performance for survival prognosis, clinic pathological features, immune infiltration, and drug sensitivity. Multivariate Cox analysis findings revealed that the risk scores derived from predictive models is independent prognostic markers for pancreatic patients. In conclusion, based on neutrophil marker genes, this research created a molecular typing and prognostic grading system for pancreatic cancer, this system was very accurate in predicting the prognosis, tumor immune microenvironment status, and pharmacological treatment responsiveness of pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Jiaao Sun
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Hewen Guan
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Bingqian Huang
- Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Qihang Yuan
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
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Wu X, Zhou Z, Cao Q, Chen Y, Gong J, Zhang Q, Qiang Y, Lu Y, Cao G. Reprogramming of Treg cells in the inflammatory microenvironment during immunotherapy: a literature review. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1268188. [PMID: 37753092 PMCID: PMC10518452 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1268188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Treg), as members of CD4+ T cells, have garnered extensive attention in the research of tumor progression. Treg cells have the function of inhibiting the immune effector cells, preventing tissue damage, and suppressing inflammation. Under the stimulation of the tumor inflammatory microenvironment (IM), the reprogramming of Treg cells enhances their suppression of immune responses, ultimately promoting tumor immune escape or tumor progression. Reducing the number of Treg cells in the IM or lowering the activity of Treg cells while preventing their reprogramming, can help promote the body's anti-tumor immune responses. This review introduces a reprogramming mechanism of Treg cells in the IM; and discusses the regulation of Treg cells on tumor progression. The control of Treg cells and the response to Treg inflammatory reprogramming in tumor immunotherapy are analyzed and countermeasures are proposed. This work will provide a foundation for downregulating the immunosuppressive role of Treg in the inflammatory environment in future tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyan Wu
- Department of Earth Sciences, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhigang Zhou
- Department of Oncology, Changde Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changde, China
| | - Qiang Cao
- Department of Earth Sciences, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- School of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Yuquan Chen
- Institute of Medical Information/Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junling Gong
- School of Public Health, Nanchang University, Qianhu, Nanchang, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Undergraduate Department, Taishan University, Taian, China
| | - Yi Qiang
- Department of Earth Sciences, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Yanfeng Lu
- Department of Earth Sciences, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Guangzhu Cao
- Department of Earth Sciences, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
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Xu W, Zhang W, Zhao D, Wang Q, Zhang M, Li Q, Zhu W, Xu C. Unveiling the role of regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer through single-cell transcriptomics and in vitro experiments. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1242909. [PMID: 37753069 PMCID: PMC10518406 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1242909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In order to investigate the impact of Treg cell infiltration on the immune response against pancreatic cancer within the tumor microenvironment (TME), and identify crucial mRNA markers associated with Treg cells in pancreatic cancer, our study aims to delve into the role of Treg cells in the anti-tumor immune response of pancreatic cancer. Methods The ordinary transcriptome data for this study was sourced from the GEO and TCGA databases. It was analyzed using single-cell sequencing analysis and machine learning. To assess the infiltration level of Treg cells in pancreatic cancer tissues, we employed the CIBERSORT method. The identification of genes most closely associated with Treg cells was accomplished through the implementation of weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Our analysis of single-cell sequencing data involved various quality control methods, followed by annotation and advanced analyses such as cell trajectory analysis and cell communication analysis to elucidate the role of Treg cells within the pancreatic cancer microenvironment. Additionally, we categorized the Treg cells into two subsets: Treg1 associated with favorable prognosis, and Treg2 associated with poor prognosis, based on the enrichment scores of the key genes. Employing the hdWGCNA method, we analyzed these two subsets to identify the critical signaling pathways governing their mutual transformation. Finally, we conducted PCR and immunofluorescence staining in vitro to validate the identified key genes. Results Based on the results of immune infiltration analysis, we observed significant infiltration of Treg cells in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment. Subsequently, utilizing the WGCNA and machine learning algorithms, we ultimately identified four Treg cell-related genes (TRGs), among which four genes exhibited significant correlations with the occurrence and progression of pancreatic cancer. Among them, CASP4, TOB1, and CLEC2B were associated with poorer prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients, while FYN showed a correlation with better prognosis. Notably, significant differences were found in the HIF-1 signaling pathway between Treg1 and Treg2 cells identified by the four genes. These conclusions were further validated through in vitro experiments. Conclusion Treg cells played a crucial role in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment, and their presence held a dual significance. Recognizing this characteristic was vital for understanding the limitations of Treg cell-targeted therapies. CASP4, FYN, TOB1, and CLEC2B exhibited close associations with infiltrating Treg cells in pancreatic cancer, suggesting their involvement in Treg cell functions. Further investigation was warranted to uncover the mechanisms underlying these associations. Notably, the HIF-1 signaling pathway emerged as a significant pathway contributing to the duality of Treg cells. Targeting this pathway could potentially revolutionize the existing treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenjia Zhang
- Shanghai Clinical College, Anhui Medical University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongxu Zhao
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Man Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
- The Laboratory of Emergency Medicine, School of the Secondary Clinical Medicine, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Wenxin Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Kunshan Third People’s Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chunfang Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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Zhang B, Liu J, Li H, Huang B, Zhang B, Song B, Bao C, Liu Y, Wang Z. Integrated multi-omics identified the novel intratumor microbiome-derived subtypes and signature to predict the outcome, tumor microenvironment heterogeneity, and immunotherapy response for pancreatic cancer patients. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1244752. [PMID: 37745080 PMCID: PMC10512958 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1244752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The extremely malignant tumour known as pancreatic cancer (PC) lacks efficient prognostic markers and treatment strategies. The microbiome is crucial to how cancer develops and responds to treatment. Our study was conducted in order to better understand how PC patients' microbiomes influence their outcome, tumour microenvironment, and responsiveness to immunotherapy. Methods: We integrated transcriptome and microbiome data of PC and used univariable Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier method for screening the prognostic microbes. Then intratumor microbiome-derived subtypes were identified using consensus clustering. We utilized LASSO and Cox regression to build the microbe-related model for predicting the prognosis of PC, and utilized eight algorithms to assess the immune microenvironment feature. The OncoPredict package was utilized to predict drug treatment response. We utilized qRT-PCR to verify gene expression and single-cell analysis to reveal the composition of PC tumour microenvironment. Results: We obtained a total of 26 prognostic genera in PC. And PC samples were divided into two microbiome-related subtypes: Mcluster A and B. Compared with Mcluster A, patients in Mcluster B had a worse prognosis and higher TNM stage and pathological grade. Immune analysis revealed that neutrophils, regulatory T cell, CD8+ T cell, macrophages M1 and M2, cancer associated fibroblasts, myeloid dendritic cell, and activated mast cell had remarkably higher infiltrated levels within the tumour microenvironment of Mcluster B. Patients in Mcluster A were more likely to benefit from CTLA-4 blockers and were highly sensitive to 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, gemcitabine, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and epirubicin. Moreover, we built a microbe-derived model to assess the outcome. The ROC curves showed that the microbe-related model has good predictive performance. The expression of LAMA3 and LIPH was markedly increased within pancreatic tumour tissues and was linked to advanced stage and poor prognosis. Single-cell analysis indicated that besides cancer cells, the tumour microenvironment of PC was also rich in monocytes/macrophages, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. LIPH and LAMA3 exhibited relatively higher expression in cancer cells and neutrophils. Conclusion: The intratumor microbiome-derived subtypes and signature in PC were first established, and our study provided novel perspectives on PC prognostic indicators and treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jifeng Liu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Han Li
- Department of Oncology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Bingqian Huang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Bolin Zhang
- Department of Visceral, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, University Medical Center Halle, Halle, Germany
| | - Binyu Song
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Xi’an, China
| | - Chongchan Bao
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Zhizhou Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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Guan H, Chen X, Liu J, Sun J, Guo H, Jiang Y, Zhang H, Zhang B, Lin J, Yuan Q. Molecular characteristics and therapeutic implications of Toll-like receptor signaling pathway in melanoma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13788. [PMID: 37666853 PMCID: PMC10477197 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38850-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes and is often considered immunogenic cancer. Toll-like receptor-related genes are expressed differently in most types of cancer, depending on the immune microenvironment inside cancer, and the key function of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for melanoma has not been fully elucidated. Based on multi-omics data from TCGA and GEO databases, we first performed pan-cancer analysis on TLR, including CNV, SNV, and mRNA changes in TLR-related genes in multiple human cancers, as well as patient prognosis characterization. Then, we divided melanoma patients into three subgroups (clusters 1, 2, and 3) according to the expression of the TLR pathway, and explored the correlation between TLR pathway and melanoma prognosis, immune infiltration, metabolic reprogramming, and oncogene expression characteristics. Finally, through univariate Cox regression analysis and LASSO algorithm, we selected six TLR-related genes to construct a survival prognostic model, divided melanoma patients into the training set, internal validation set 1, internal validation set 2, and external validation set for multiple validations, and discussed the correlation between model genes and clinical features of melanoma patients. In conclusion, we constructed a prognostic survival model based on TLR-related genes that precisely and independently demonstrated the potential to assess the prognosis and immune traits of melanoma patients, which is critical for patients' survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hewen Guan
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Jifeng Liu
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Jiaao Sun
- Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Yuankuan Jiang
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Biao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
| | - Jingrong Lin
- Department of Dermatology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
| | - Qihang Yuan
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
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Wang Q, Lin Y, Yu W, Chen X, He Q, Ye Z. The core role of macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma: the definition of molecular subtypes and the prognostic risk system. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1228052. [PMID: 37693905 PMCID: PMC10491020 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1228052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the tumor microenvironment (TME) is resistant to immunotherapy because of its specificity. It is meaningful to explore the role of macrophage, which is one of the most abundant immune cells in the TME, in cellular communication and its effect on the prognosis and immunotherapy of HCC. Methods: Dimensionality reduction and clustering of the single-cell RNA-seq data from the GSE149614 dataset were carried out to identify the cellular composition of HCC. CellChat was used to analyze the communication between different cells. The specifically highly expressed genes of macrophages were extracted for univariate Cox regression analysis to obtain prognostic genes for HCC cluster analysis, and the risk system of macrophage-specifically highly expressed genes was developed by random forest analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Prognosis, TME infiltration, potential responses to immunotherapy, and antineoplastic drugs were compared among molecular subtypes and between risk groups. Results: We found that HCC included nine identifiable cell types, of which macrophages had the highest communication intensity with each of the other eight cell types. Of the 179 specifically highly expressed genes of macrophage, 56 were significantly correlated with the prognosis of HCC, which classified HCC into three subtypes, which were reproducible and produced different survival outcomes, TME infiltration, and immunotherapy responses among the subtypes. In the integration of four macrophage-specifically highly expressed genes for the development of a risk system, the risk score was significantly involved in higher immune cell infiltration, poor prognosis, immunotherapy response rate, and sensitivity of six drugs. Conclusion: In this study, through single-cell RNA-seq data, we identified nine cell types, among which macrophage had the highest communication intensity with the rest of the cell types. Based on specifically highly expressed genes of macrophage, we successfully divided HCC patients into three clusters with distinct prognosis, TME, and therapeutic response. Additionally, a risk system was constructed, which provided a potential reference index for the prognostic target and preclinical individualized treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaona Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yunshou Lin
- Department of Hernia and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Wenguan Yu
- Department of Hernia and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Xiaogang Chen
- Department of Hernia and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Qingqing He
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhiyu Ye
- Department of Hernia and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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Wang H, Guo H, Sun J, Wang Y. Multi-omics analyses based on genes associated with oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism revealed the intrinsic molecular characteristics of pancreatic cancer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13564. [PMID: 37604837 PMCID: PMC10442332 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40560-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress (OS), which impacts lipid metabolic reprogramming, can affect the biological activities of cancer cells. How oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism (OSPM) influence the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) needs to be elucidated. The metabolic data of 35 pancreatic tumor samples, 34 para-carcinoma samples, and 31 normal pancreatic tissues were obtained from the previously published literature. Pan-cancer samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). And the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), ArrayExpress, and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were searched for more PC and normal pancreatic samples. The metabolites in PC were compared with normal and para-carcinoma tissues. The characteristics of the key OSPM genes were summarized in pan-cancer. The random survival forest analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to construct an OSPM-related signature. Based on this signature, PC samples were divided into high- and low-risk subgroups. The dysregulations of the tumor immune microenvironment were further investigated. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to investigate the expression of genes in the signature in PC and normal tissues. The protein levels of these genes were further demonstrated. In PC, metabolomic studies revealed the alteration of PM, while transcriptomic studies showed different expressions of OSPM-related genes. Then 930 PC samples were divided into three subtypes with different prognoses, and an OSPM-related signature including eight OSPM-related genes (i.e., SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, ECT2, SLC22A3, and FGD6) was developed. High- and low-risk subgroups divided by the signature showed different prognoses, expression levels of immune checkpoint genes, immune cell infiltration, and tumor microenvironment. The risk score was negatively correlated with the proportion of TIL, pDC, Mast cell, and T cell co-stimulation. The expression levels of genes in the signature were verified in PC and normal samples. The protein levels of SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, and SLC22A3 showed up-regulation in PC samples compared with normal tissues. After integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics data, the alterations in OSPM in PC were investigated, and an OSPM-related signature was developed, which was helpful for the prognostic assessment and individualized treatment for PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongdong Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jiaao Sun
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yuefeng Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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Zhang P, Zhang X, Cui Y, Gong Z, Wang W, Lin S. Revealing the role of regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma: a novel prognostic and immunotherapeutic signature. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1244144. [PMID: 37671160 PMCID: PMC10476870 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1244144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Regulatory T cells (Tregs), are a key class of cell types in the immune system. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), the presence of Tregs has important implications for immune response and tumor development. Relatively little is known about the role of Tregs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods Tregs were identified using but single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis and interactions between Tregs and other cells in the TME were investigated. Next, we used multiple bulk RNA-seq datasets to construct risk models based on marker genes of Tregs and explored differences in prognosis, mutational landscape, immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy between high- and low-risk groups, and finally, qRT-PCR and cell function experiments were performed to validate the model genes. Results The cellchat analysis showed that MIF-(CD74+CXCR4) pairs play a key role in the interaction of Tregs with other cell subpopulations, and the Tregs-associated signatures (TRAS) could well classify multiple LUAD cohorts into high- and low-risk groups. Immunotherapy may offer greater potential benefits to the low-risk group, as indicated by their superior survival, increased infiltration of immune cells, and heightened expression of immune checkpoints. Finally, the experiment verified that the model genes LTB and PTTG1 were relatively highly expressed in cancer tissues, while PTPRC was relatively highly expressed in paracancerous tissues. Colony Formation assay confirmed that knockdown of PTTG1 reduced the proliferation ability of LUAD cells. Conclusion TRAS were constructed using scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq to distinguish patient risk subgroups, which may provide assistance in the clinical management of LUAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Zhang
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanan Cui
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zetian Gong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shengrong Lin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Dongtai People’s Hospital, Dongtai, China
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Han X, Yan Z, Fan K, Guan X, Hu B, Li X, Ou Y, Cui B, An L, Zhang Y, Gong J. The combined signatures of telomere and immune cell landscape provide a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in glioma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1220100. [PMID: 37662954 PMCID: PMC10470026 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1220100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Gliomas, the most prevalent primary malignant tumors of the central nervous system in adults, exhibit slow growth in lower-grade gliomas (LGG). However, the majority of LGG cases progress to high-grade gliomas, posing challenges for prognostication. The tumor microenvironment (TME), characterized by telomere-related genes and immune cell infiltration, strongly influences glioma growth and therapeutic response. Therefore, our objective was to develop a Telomere-TME (TM-TME) classifier that integrates telomere-related genes and immune cell landscape to assess prognosis and therapeutic response in glioma. Methods This study encompassed LGG patients from the TCGA and CCGA databases. TM score and TME score were derived from the expression signatures of telomere-related genes and the presence of immune cells in LGG, respectively. The TM-TME classifier was established by combining TM and TME scores to effectively predict prognosis. Subsequently, we conducted Kaplan-Meier survival estimation, univariate Cox regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curves to validate the prognostic prediction capacity of the TM-TME classifier across multiple cohorts. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, biological processes, and proteomaps were performed to annotate the functional aspects of each subgroup and visualize the cellular signaling pathways. Results The TM_low+TME_high subgroup exhibited superior prognosis and therapeutic response compared to other subgroups (P<0.001). This finding could be attributed to distinct tumor somatic mutations and cancer cellular signaling pathways. GO analysis indicated that the TM_low+TME_high subgroup is associated with the neuronal system and modulation of chemical synaptic transmission. Conversely, the TM_high+TME_low subgroup showed a strong association with cell cycle and DNA metabolic processes. Furthermore, the classifier significantly differentiated overall survival in the TCGA LGG cohort and served as an independent prognostic factor for LGG patients in both the TCGA cohort (P<0.001) and the CGGA cohort (P<0.001). Conclusion Overall, our findings underscore the significance of the TM-TME classifier in predicting prognosis and immune therapeutic response in glioma, shedding light on the complex immune landscape within each subgroup. Additionally, our results suggest the potential of integrating risk stratification with precision therapy for LGG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zihan Yan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Kaiyu Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueyi Guan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Bohan Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yunwei Ou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Cui
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingxuan An
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Yaohua Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Ministry of Science and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Gong
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Xu W, Jiang T, Shen K, Zhao D, Zhang M, Zhu W, Liu Y, Xu C. GADD45B regulates the carcinogenesis process of chronic atrophic gastritis and the metabolic pathways of gastric cancer. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1224832. [PMID: 37608794 PMCID: PMC10441793 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1224832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Gastric cancer continues to be a significant global healthcare challenge, and its burden remains substantial. The development of gastric cancer (GC) is closely linked to chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), yet there is a scarcity of research exploring the underlying mechanisms of CAG-induced carcinogenesis. Methods In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation into the oncogenes involved in CAG using both bulk transcriptome and single-cell transcriptome data. Our approach employed hdWGCNA to identify pathogenic genes specific to CAG, with non-atrophic gastritis (NAG) serving as the control group. Additionally, we compared CAG with GC, using normal gastric tissue as the control group in the single-cell transcriptome analysis. By intersecting the identified pathogenic genes, we pinpointed key network molecules through protein interaction network analysis. To further refine the gene selection, we applied LASSO, SVM-RFE, and RF techniques, which resulted in a set of cancer-related genes (CRGs) associated with CAG. To identify CRGs potentially linked to gastric cancer progression, we performed a univariate COX regression analysis on the gene set. Subsequently, we explored the relationship between CRGs and immune infiltration, drug sensitivity, and clinical characteristics in gastric cancer patients. We employed GSVA to investigate how CRGs regulated signaling pathways in gastric cancer cells, while an analysis of cell communication shed light on the impact of CRGs on signal transmission within the gastric cancer tumor microenvironment. Lastly, we analyzed changes in metabolic pathways throughout the progression of gastric cancer. Results Using hdWGCNA, we have identified a total of 143 pathogenic genes that were shared by CAG and GC. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms, we conducted protein interaction network analysis and employed machine learning screening techniques. As a result, we have identified 15 oncogenes that are specifically associated with chronic atrophic gastritis. By performing ROC reanalysis and prognostic analysis, we have determined that GADD45B is the most significant gene involved in the carcinogenesis of CAG. Immunohistochemical staining and differential analysis have revealed that GADD45B expression was low in GC tissues while high in normal gastric tissues. Moreover, based on prognostic analysis, high expression of GADD45B has been correlated with poor prognosis in GC patients. Additionally, an analysis of immune infiltration has shown a relationship between GADD45B and the infiltration of various immune cells. By correlating GADD45B with clinical characteristics, we have found that it primarily affects the depth of invasion in GC. Through cell communication analysis, we have discovered that the CD99 signaling pathway network and the CDH signaling pathway network are the main communication pathways that significantly alter the microenvironment of gastric tissue during the development of chronic atrophic gastritis. Specifically, GADD45B-low GC cells were predominantly involved in the network communication of the CDH signaling pathway, while GADD45B-high GC cells played a crucial role in both signaling pathways. Furthermore, we have identified several metabolic pathways, including D-Glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism and N-Glycan biosynthesis, among others, that played important roles in the occurrence and progression of GC, in addition to the six other metabolic pathways. In summary, our study highlighted the discovery of 143 pathogenic genes shared by CAG and GC, with a specific focus on 15 oncogenes associated with CAG. We have identified GADD45B as the most important gene in the carcinogenesis of CAG, which exhibited differential expression in GC tissues compared to normal gastric tissues. Moreover, GADD45B expression was correlated with patient prognosis and is associated with immune cell infiltration. Our findings also emphasized the impact of the CD99 and CDH signaling pathway networks on the microenvironment of gastric tissue during the development of CAG. Additionally, we have identified key metabolic pathways involved in GC progression. Conclusion GADD45B, an oncogene implicated in chronic atrophic gastritis, played a critical role in GC development. Decreased expression of GADD45B was associated with the onset of GC. Moreover, GADD45B expression levels were closely tied to poor prognosis in GC patients, influencing the infiltration patterns of various cells within the tumor microenvironment, as well as impacting the metabolic pathways involved in GC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tianxiao Jiang
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Kanger Shen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dongxu Zhao
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Man Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenxin Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Kunshan Third People’s Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yunfei Liu
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Chunfang Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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Zhang B, Huang B, Zhang X, Li S, Zhu J, Chen X, Song H, Shang D. PANoptosis-related molecular subtype and prognostic model associated with the immune microenvironment and individualized therapy in pancreatic cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1217654. [PMID: 37519797 PMCID: PMC10382139 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1217654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background PANoptosis is an inflammatory type of programmed cell death regulated by PANopotosome. Mounting evidence has shown that PANoptosis could be involved in cancer pathogenesis and the tumor immune microenvironment. Nevertheless, there have been no studies on the mechanism of PANoptosis on pancreatic cancer (PC) pathogenesis. Methods We downloaded the data on transcriptomic and clinical features of PC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Additionally, the data on copy number variation (CNV), methylation and somatic mutations of genes in 33 types of cancers were obtained from TCGA. Next, we identified the PANoptosis-related molecular subtype using the consensus clustering analysis, and constructed and validated the PANoptosis-related prognostic model using LASSO and Cox regression analyses. Moreover, RT-qPCR was performed to determine the expression of genes involved in the model. Results We obtained 66 PANoptosis-related genes (PANRGs) from published studies. Of these, 24 PC-specific prognosis-related genes were identified. Pan-cancer analysis revealed complex genetic changes, including CNV, methylation, and mutation in PANRGs were identified in various cancers. By consensus clustering analysis, PC patients were classified into two PANoptosis-related patterns: PANcluster A and B. In PANcluster A, the patient prognosis was significantly worse compared to PANcluster B. The CIBERSORT algorithm showed a significant increase in the infiltration of CD8+ T cells, monocytes, and naïve B cells, in patients in PANcluster B. Additionally, the infiltration of macrophages, activated mast cells, and dendritic cells were higher in patients in PANcluster A. Patients in PANcluster A were more sensitive to erlotinib, selumetinib and trametinib, whereas patients in PANcluster B were highly sensitive to irinotecan, oxaliplatin and sorafenib. Moreover, we constructed and validated the PANoptosis-related prognostic model to predict the patient's survival. Finally, the GEPIA and Human Protein Atlas databases were analyzed, and RT-qPCR was performed. Compared to normal tissues, a significant increase in CXCL10 and ITGB6 (associated with the model) expression was observed in PC tissues. Conclusion We first identified the PANoptosis-related molecular subtypes and established a PANoptosis-related prognostic model for predicting the survival of patients with PC. These results would aid in exploring the mechanisms of PANoptosis in PC pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Bingqian Huang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiaonan Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jingyi Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Huiyi Song
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Dong Shang
- Department of General Surgery, Clinical Laboratory of Integrative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
- Institute (College) of Integrative Medicine, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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Zhang D, Liu S, Wu Q, Ma Y, Zhou S, Liu Z, Sun W, Lu Z. Prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma based on anoikis-related genes: immune landscape analysis and prediction of drug sensitivity. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1232814. [PMID: 37502362 PMCID: PMC10369074 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1232814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a complex ailment characterized by an unfavorable prognosis in advanced stages. The involvement of immune cells in HCC progression is of significant importance. Moreover, metastasis poses a substantial impediment to enhanced prognostication for HCC patients, with anoikis playing an indispensable role in facilitating the distant metastasis of tumor cells. Nevertheless, limited investigations have been conducted regarding the utilization of anoikis factors for predicting HCC prognosis and assessing immune infiltration. This present study aims to identify hepatocellular carcinoma-associated anoikis-related genes (ANRGs), establish a robust prognostic model for HCC, and delineate distinct immune characteristics based on the anoikis signature. Cell migration and cytotoxicity experiments were performed to validate the accuracy of the ANRGs model. Methods Consensus clustering based on ANRGs was employed in this investigation to categorize HCC samples obtained from both TCGA and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts. To assess the differentially expressed genes, Cox regression analysis was conducted, and subsequently, prognostic gene signatures were constructed using LASSO-Cox methodology. External validation was performed at the International Cancer Genome Conference. The tumor microenvironment (TME) was characterized utilizing ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms, while machine learning techniques facilitated the identification of potential target drugs. The wound healing assay and CCK-8 assay were employed to evaluate the migratory capacity and drug sensitivity of HCC cell lines, respectively. Results Utilizing the TCGA-LIHC dataset, we devised a nomogram integrating a ten-gene signature with diverse clinicopathological features. Furthermore, the discriminative potential and clinical utility of the ten-gene signature and nomogram were substantiated through ROC analysis and DCA. Subsequently, we devised a prognostic framework leveraging gene expression data from distinct risk cohorts to predict the drug responsiveness of HCC subtypes. Conclusion In this study, we have established a promising HCC prognostic ANRGs model, which can serve as a valuable tool for clinicians in selecting targeted therapeutic drugs, thereby improving overall patient survival rates. Additionally, this model has also revealed a strong connection between anoikis and immune cells, providing a potential avenue for elucidating the mechanisms underlying immune cell infiltration regulated by anoikis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengyong Zhang
- Graduate School, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Sihua Liu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Yang Ma
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Shuo Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Zhong Liu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Wanliang Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
| | - Zheng Lu
- Graduate School, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China
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Zhao Z, Ding Y, Tran LJ, Chai G, Lin L. Innovative breakthroughs facilitated by single-cell multi-omics: manipulating natural killer cell functionality correlates with a novel subcategory of melanoma cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1196892. [PMID: 37435067 PMCID: PMC10332463 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1196892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Melanoma is typically regarded as the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Although surgical removal of in situ lesions can be used to effectively treat metastatic disease, this condition is still difficult to cure. Melanoma cells are removed in great part due to the action of natural killer (NK) and T cells on the immune system. Still, not much is known about how the activity of NK cell-related pathways changes in melanoma tissue. Thus, we performed a single-cell multi-omics analysis on human melanoma cells in this study to explore the modulation of NK cell activity. Materials and methods Cells in which mitochondrial genes comprised > 20% of the total number of expressed genes were removed. Gene ontology (GO), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), gene set variation analysis (GSVA), and AUCcell analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in melanoma subtypes were performed. The CellChat package was used to predict cell-cell contact between NK cell and melanoma cell subtypes. Monocle program analyzed the pseudotime trajectories of melanoma cells. In addition, CytoTRACE was used to determine the recommended time order of melanoma cells. InferCNV was utilized to calculate the CNV level of melanoma cell subtypes. Python package pySCENIC was used to assess the enrichment of transcription factors and the activity of regulons in melanoma cell subtypes. Furthermore, the cell function experiment was used to confirm the function of TBX21 in both A375 and WM-115 melanoma cell lines. Results Following batch effect correction, 26,161 cells were separated into 28 clusters and designated as melanoma cells, neural cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, NK cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, plasma cells, monocytes and macrophages, and dendritic cells. A total of 10137 melanoma cells were further grouped into seven subtypes, i.e., C0 Melanoma BIRC7, C1 Melanoma CDH19, C2 Melanoma EDNRB, C3 Melanoma BIRC5, C4 Melanoma CORO1A, C5 Melanoma MAGEA4, and C6 Melanoma GJB2. The results of AUCell, GSEA, and GSVA suggested that C4 Melanoma CORO1A may be more sensitive to NK and T cells through positive regulation of NK and T cell-mediated immunity, while other subtypes of melanoma may be more resistant to NK cells. This suggests that the intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) of melanoma-induced activity and the difference in NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity may have caused NK cell defects. Transcription factor enrichment analysis indicated that TBX21 was the most important TF in C4 Melanoma CORO1A and was also associated with M1 modules. In vitro experiments further showed that TBX21 knockdown dramatically decreases melanoma cells' proliferation, invasion, and migration. Conclusion The differences in NK and T cell-mediated immunity and cytotoxicity between C4 Melanoma CORO1A and other melanoma cell subtypes may offer a new perspective on the ITH of melanoma-induced metastatic activity. In addition, the protective factors of skin melanoma, STAT1, IRF1, and FLI1, may modulate melanoma cell responses to NK or T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijie Zhao
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yantao Ding
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Dermatology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- China Key Laboratory of Dermatology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lisa Jia Tran
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gang Chai
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Lin
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Xu K, Liu Y, Luo H, Wang T. Efferocytosis signatures as prognostic markers for revealing immune landscape and predicting immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1218244. [PMID: 37383726 PMCID: PMC10294713 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1218244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal liver cancer with late diagnosis; therefore, the identification of new early biomarkers could help reduce mortality. Efferocytosis, a process in which one cell engulfs another cell, including macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, etc., plays a complex role in tumorigenesis, sometimes promoting and sometimes inhibiting tumor development. However, the role of efferocytosis-related genes (ERGs) in HCC progression has been poorly studied, and their regulatory effects in HCC immunotherapy and drug targeting have not been reported. Methods: We downloaded efferocytosis-related genes from the Genecards database and screened for ERGs that showed significant expression changes between HCC and normal tissues and were associated with HCC prognosis. Machine learning algorithms were used to study prognostic gene features. CIBERSORT and pRRophetic R packages were used to evaluate the immune environment of HCC subtypes and predict treatment response. CCK-8 experiments conducted on HCC cells were used to assess the reliability of drug sensitivity prediction. Results: We constructed a prognostic prediction model composed of six genes, and the ROC curve showed good predictive accuracy of the risk model. In addition, two ERG-related subgroups in HCC showed significant differences in tumor immune landscape, immune response, and prognostic stratification. The CCK-8 experiment conducted on HCC cells confirmed the reliability of drug sensitivity prediction. Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the importance of efferocytosis in HCC progression. The risk model based on efferocytosis-related genes developed in our study provides a novel precision medicine approach for HCC patients, allowing clinicians to customize treatment plans based on unique patient characteristics. The results of our investigation carry noteworthy implications for the development of individualized treatment approaches involving immunotherapy and chemotherapy, thereby potentially facilitating the realization of personalized and more efficacious therapeutic interventions for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Xu
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Huiyan Luo
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Tengfei Wang
- Department of Equipment, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
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Zhang S, Pei Y, Zhu F. Multi-omic analysis of glycolytic signatures: exploring the predictive significance of heterogeneity and stemness in immunotherapy response and outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1210111. [PMID: 37351550 PMCID: PMC10282758 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1210111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global health challenge with complex pathophysiology, characterized by high mortality rates and poor early detection due to significant tumor heterogeneity. Stemness significantly contributes to the heterogeneity of HCC tumors, and glycolysis is crucial for maintaining stemness. However, the predictive significance of glycolysis-related metabolic genes (GMGs) in HCC remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify critical GMGs and establish a reliable model for HCC prognosis. Methods: GMGs associated with prognosis were identified by evaluating genes with notable expression changes between HCC and normal tissues retrieved from the MsigDB database. Prognostic gene characteristics were established using univariate and multivariate Cox regression studies for prognosis prediction and risk stratification. The "CIBERSORT" and "pRRophetic" R packages were respectively used to evaluate the immunological environment and predict treatment response in HCC subtypes. The HCC stemness score was obtained using the OCLR technique. The precision of drug sensitivity prediction was evaluated using CCK-8 experiments performed on HCC cells. The miagration and invasion ability of HCC cell lines with different riskscores were assessed using Transwell and wound healing assays. Results: The risk model based on 10 gene characteristics showed high prediction accuracy as indicated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Moreover, the two GMG-related subgroups showed considerable variation in the risk of HCC with respect to tumor stemness, immune landscape, and prognostic stratification. The in vitro validation of the model's ability to predict medication response further demonstrated its reliability. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of stemness variability and inter-individual variation in determining the HCC risk landscape. The risk model we developed provides HCC patients with a novel method for precision medicine that enables clinical doctors to customize treatment plans based on unique patient characteristics. Our findings have significant implications for tailored immunotherapy and chemotherapy methods, and may pave the way for more personalized and effective treatment strategies for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyu Zhang
- Department of Emergency, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Affiliated Jincheng Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Jincheng, China
| | - Yangting Pei
- Department of Medical Record, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Affiliated Jincheng Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Jincheng, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Affiliated Jincheng Hospital of Changzhi Medical College, Jincheng, China
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