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Pu Q, Yu L, Liu X, Yan H, Xie Y, Cai X, Wu Y, Du J, Yang Z. Prognostic value of CD8 +T cells related genes and exhaustion regulation of Notch signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1375864. [PMID: 38650927 PMCID: PMC11033358 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1375864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as the primary treatment modality for patients with advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its clinical efficacy remains limited, benefiting only a subset of patients, while most exhibit immune tolerance and face a grim prognosis. The infiltration of immune cells plays a pivotal role in tumor initiation and progression. In this study, we conducted an analysis of immune cell infiltration patterns in HCC patients and observed a substantial proportion of CD8+T cells. Leveraging the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified 235 genes associated with CD8+T cell and constructed a risk prediction model. In this model, HCC patients were stratified into a high-risk and low-risk group. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited a lower survival rate, predominantly presented with intermediate to advanced stages of cancer, displayed compromised immune function, showed limited responsiveness to immunotherapy, and demonstrated elevated expression levels of the Notch signaling pathway. Further examination of clinical samples demonstrated an upregulation of the Notch1+CD8+T cell exhaustion phenotype accompanied by impaired cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion functions that worsened with increasing Notch activation levels. Our study not only presents a prognostic model but also highlights the crucial involvement of the Notch pathway in CD8+T cell exhaustion-a potential target for future immunotherapeutic interventions.
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MESH Headings
- Humans
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Liver Neoplasms/immunology
- Liver Neoplasms/genetics
- Liver Neoplasms/mortality
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/immunology
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality
- Signal Transduction
- Prognosis
- Receptors, Notch/genetics
- Receptors, Notch/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism
- Male
- Female
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Receptor, Notch1/genetics
- Middle Aged
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Pu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihua Yu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Liu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Huiwen Yan
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuqing Xie
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Cai
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- The First Clinical Medical College of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Wu
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Du
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
- National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyun Yang
- Center of Integrative Medicine, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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