To the Editor:Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy characterized by a poor prog-nosis,with a 5-year survival rate of<10%[1].Furthermore,only a minority of patients(<20%)qualify for curative-intent resec-tion,and ev...To the Editor:Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy characterized by a poor prog-nosis,with a 5-year survival rate of<10%[1].Furthermore,only a minority of patients(<20%)qualify for curative-intent resec-tion,and even among those who undergo this procedure,the risk of recurrence within three years remains alarmingly high,reach-ing up to 70%[2].Due to the lack of specific clinical manifes-tations of pancreatic cancer,most cases have metastasized or in-vaded the major vessels around the pancreas at the time of initial diagnosis,resulting in a low surgical resection rate.Even patients who undergo surgical resection often face a poor prognosis[3].In recent years,neoadjuvant chemotherapy using agents such as gemcitabine,5-fluorouracil,albumin-bound paclitaxel,modified fluorouracil/leucovorin plus irinotecan,and oxaliplatin(mFOLFIRI-NOX),targeted therapies addressing molecular subtypes of pan-creatic cancer,and immunotherapies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have shown efficacy in improving the overall prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer,although the impact remains modest[4,5].Therefore,novel therapeutic strategies and prognostic evaluation systems are urgently needed to enhance the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer.展开更多
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)remains a major global health burden due to its high incidence and mortality,with treatment efficacy often hindered by tumor hetero-geneity,drug resistance,and a complex tumor microenv...BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)remains a major global health burden due to its high incidence and mortality,with treatment efficacy often hindered by tumor hetero-geneity,drug resistance,and a complex tumor microenvironment(TME).Lactate metabolism plays a pivotal role in reshaping the TME,promoting immune eva-sion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition,making it a promising target for novel therapeutic strategies and prognostic modeling in CRC.AIM To offer an in-depth analysis of the role of lactate metabolism in CRC,high-lighting its significance in the TME and therapeutic response.METHODS Utilizing single-cell and transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas,we identified key lactate metabolic activities,particularly in the monocyte/macrophage subpopulation.RESULTS Seven lactate metabolism-associated genes were significantly linked to CRC prognosis and used to construct a predictive model.This model accurately forecasts patient outcomes and reveals notable distinct patterns of immune infiltration and transcriptomic profiles mutation profiles between high-and low-risk groups.High-risk patients demonstrated elevated immune cell infiltration,increased mutation frequencies,and heightened sensitivity to specific drugs(AZD6482,tozasertib,and SB216763),providing a foundation for personalized treatment approaches.Additionally,a nomogram integrating clinical and metabolic data effectively predicted 1-,3-,and 5-year survival rates.CONCLUSION This report underscored the pivotal mechanism of lactate metabolism in CRC prognosis and suggest novel avenues for therapeutic intervention.展开更多
AIM:To investigate cuproptosis-related molecular and immune infiltration in age-related macular degeneration(AMD)development and establish a predictive model.METHODS:The expression profiles of cuproptosisrelated genes...AIM:To investigate cuproptosis-related molecular and immune infiltration in age-related macular degeneration(AMD)development and establish a predictive model.METHODS:The expression profiles of cuproptosisrelated genes and immune signature in AMD based on the microarray dataset GSE29801 were analyzed.A total of 142 AMD samples were used to identify the cuproptosisrelated differentially expressed genes(Cu-DEGs),together with the immune cell infiltration.To further refine the list of potential genes for AMD diagnosis,three machine learning techniques were used,and an external dataset were applied for confirming the accuracy of the predictive performance.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)were also performed to examine the level of mRNA of hub genes.The activated immune responses and Cu-DEGs were assessed between AMD and controls.RESULTS:Six genes,including ATP7A,DBT,VEGFA,UBE2D3,CP,SLC31A1,were screened as cuproptosissignature in AMD via three machine learning methods.Next,SLC31A1 and VEGFA was selected as hub genes by performance evaluation in an external dataset GSE160011,further analysis showed that SLC31A1 and VEGFA were associated with pathways related to immune signaling and immune function,which were then observed in relation to infiltrating immune cells.Finally,the mRNA expression levels of SLC31A1 and VEGFA were significantly higher in laser induced choroidal neovascularization(CNV)group than in control group detected by RT-PCR.CONCLUSION:In this study,the possible relationship between cuproptosis and AMD is expounded systematically.A predictive model is developed to assess the risk of cuproptosis-related genes and their clinical prognostic value in AMD patients.展开更多
BACKGROUND Metadherin(MTDH)is a key oncogene in most cancer types,including hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC).Notably,MTDH does not affect the stemness pheno-type or immune infiltration of HCC.AIM To explore the role of ...BACKGROUND Metadherin(MTDH)is a key oncogene in most cancer types,including hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC).Notably,MTDH does not affect the stemness pheno-type or immune infiltration of HCC.AIM To explore the role of MTDH on stemness and immune infiltration in HCC.METHODS MTDH expression in HCC tissues was detected using TCGA and GEO databases.Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the tissue samples.MTDH was stably knocked down or overexpressed by lentiviral transfection in the two HCC cell lines.The invasion and migration abilities of HCC cells were evaluated using Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays.Next,we obtained liver cancer stem cells from the spheroids by culturing them in a serum-free medium.Gene expression was determined by western blotting and quantitative reverse transcri-ption PCR.Flow cytometry,immunofluorescence,and tumor sphere formation assays were used to characterize stem-like cells.The effects of MTDH inhibition on tumor growth were evaluated in vivo.The correlation of MTDH with immune cells,immunomodulators,and chemokines was analyzed using ssGSEA and TISIDB databases.RESULTS HCC tissues expressed higher levels of MTDH than normal liver tissues.High MTDH expression was associated with a poor prognosis.HCC cells overex-pressing MTDH exhibited stronger invasion and migration abilities,exhibited a stem cell-like phenotype,and formed spheres;however,MTDH inhibition attenuated these effects.MTDH inhibition suppressed HCC progression and CD133 expression in vivo.MTDH was positively correlated with immature dendritic,T helper 2 cells,central memory CD8^(+)T,memory B,activated dendritic,natural killer(NK)T,NK,activated CD4^(+)T,and central memory CD4^(+)T cells.MTDH was negatively correlated with activated CD8^(+)T cells,eosinophils,activated B cells,monocytes,macrophages,and mast cells.A positive correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CXCL2 expression,whereas a negative correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CX3CL1 and CXCL12 expression.CONCLUSION High levels of MTDH expression in patients with HCC are associated with poor prognosis,promoting tumor stemness,immune infiltration,and HCC progression.展开更多
Background:This study aims to explore the involvement of ferroptosis-related genes and pathogenesis in pancreatic cancer and predict potential therapeutic interventions using Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods:...Background:This study aims to explore the involvement of ferroptosis-related genes and pathogenesis in pancreatic cancer and predict potential therapeutic interventions using Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods:We utilized gene expression datasets,ferroptosis upregulated genes and applied machine learning algorithms,including LASSO and SVM-RFE,to identify key ferroptosis-related genes in pancreatic cancer.Perform Gene Ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,and Disease Ontology enrichment analysis,immune infiltration analysis and correlation analysis between immune infiltrating cells and characteristic genes on differentially expressed genes using the R software package.Retrieve potential traditional Chinese medicine for targeted ferroptosis gene therapy for pancreatic cancer through Coremine and Herb databases.Results:Seventeen feature genes were identified,with significant implications for immune cell infiltration in pancreatic cancer.The results of immune cell infiltration analysis showed that B cells naive,B cells memory,T cells regulatory,and M0 macrophages were significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer patients;Mast cells resting were significantly downregulated.Chinese herbal medicines such as ginkgo,turmeric,ginseng,Codonopsis pilosula,Zedoary turmeric,deer tendons,senna leaves,Guanmu Tong,Huangqi,and Banzhilian are potential drugs for targeted ferroptosis gene therapy for pancreatic cancer.Conclusion:TIMP1 emerged as a key gene,with several TCM herbs predicted to modulate its expression,offering new avenues for treatment.展开更多
BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.Glycolysis has been demonstrated to be pivotal for the carcinogenesis of GC.AIM To develop a glycolysis-based gene signature for prognostic...BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.Glycolysis has been demonstrated to be pivotal for the carcinogenesis of GC.AIM To develop a glycolysis-based gene signature for prognostic evaluation in GC patients.METHODS Differentially expressed genes correlated with glycolysis were identified in stomach adenocarcinoma data(STAD).A risk score was established through a univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis.The model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves.RNA-sequencing data from high-and low-glycolysis groups of STAD patients were analyzed using Cibersort algorithm and Spearman correlation to analyze the interaction of immune cell infiltration and glycolysis.Multiomics characteristics in different glycolysis status were also analyzed.RESULTS A five-gene signature comprising syndecan 2,versican,malic enzyme 1,pyruvate carboxylase and SRY-box transcription factor 9 was constructed.Patients were separated to high-or low-glycolysis groups according to risk scores.Overall survival of patients with high glycolysis was poorer.The sensitivity and specificity of the model in prediction of survival of GC patients were also observed by receiver operating characteristic curves.A nomogram including clinicopathological characteristics and the risk score also showed good prediction for 3-and 5-year overall survival.Gene set variation analysis showed that high-glycolysis patients were related to dysregulation of pancreas beta cells and estrogen late pathways,and low-glycolysis patients were related to Myc targets,oxidative phosphorylation,mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling and G2M checkpoint pathways.Tumor-infiltrating immune cells and multiomics analysis suggested that the different glycolysis status was significantly correlated with multiple immune cell infiltration.The patients with high glycolysis had lower tumor mutational burden and neoantigen load,higher incidence of microsatellite instability and lower chemosensitivity.High glycolysis status was often found among patients with grade 2/3 cancer or poor prognosis.CONCLUSION The genetic characteristics revealed by glycolysis could predict the prognosis of GC.High glycolysis significantly affects GC phenotype,but the detailed mechanism needs to be further studied.展开更多
BACKGROUND Colon adenocarcinoma(COAD)is a malignant tumor of the digestive system.The mechanisms underlying COAD development and progression are still largely unknown.AIM To identify the role of canopy FGF signaling r...BACKGROUND Colon adenocarcinoma(COAD)is a malignant tumor of the digestive system.The mechanisms underlying COAD development and progression are still largely unknown.AIM To identify the role of canopy FGF signaling regulator 3(CNPY3)in the development and progression of COAD by using bioinformatic tools and functional experiments.METHODS Bioinformatic data were downloaded from public databases.The associations of clinicopathological features,survival,and immune function with the expression of CNPY3 were analyzed.Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were used to explore the related pathways.Then,quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used for validation of CNPY3 expression in clinical samples and tumor cell lines.Cell lines with CNPY3 knockdown were constructed to further analyze gene functions.The functional experiments included proliferation,invasion,migration and apoptosis assays.RESULTS In both the TCGA cohort and the merged dataset,elevated CNPY3 expression was observed in tumor tissues.High CNPY3 expression correlated with adverse survival and compromised immune functions.Functional enrichment analysis suggested that the pro-oncogenic properties of CNPY3 might be linked to the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.CNPY3 expression was validated at both the RNA and protein levels.Functional assays indicated that cell proliferation,invasion,and migration were inhibited and cell apoptosis was promoted after CNPY3 knockdown.Additionally,Western blot results revealed the downregulation of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway following CNPY3 knockdown.PI3K/AKT pathway activator reversed the decrease in proliferation,invasion,and migration and the increase in apoptosis.Notably,CNPY3 knockdown still affected the cells when the pathway was inhibited.CONCLUSION This study showed that CNPY3 is upregulated in COAD and might regulate COAD development and progression by the PI3K/AKT pathway.Thus,CNPY3 might be a promising therapeutic target.展开更多
Background:The molecular mechanism underlying the involvement of the Transferrin receptor(TFRC)in cervical cancer remains poorly understood.This study aims to elucidate the role of TFRC in cervical cancer by analyzing...Background:The molecular mechanism underlying the involvement of the Transferrin receptor(TFRC)in cervical cancer remains poorly understood.This study aims to elucidate the role of TFRC in cervical cancer by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-Tissue Expression(GTEx)databases.Methods:TFRC protein expression was obtained from Human Protein Altas(HPA).All datas were collected from TCGA and GTEx.In this study,we analyzed the expression of TFRC in cervical cancer and its clinical significance.Through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and Gene set enrichment analyses(GSEA),investigated the related molecular pathways of TFRC.The relationship between TFRC and immune infiltration was then examined.The prognosis of different immune cell subsets was then analyzed after dividing cervical cancer patients into high and low expression of TFRC groups.Results:TFRC is highly expressed in various tumor tissues compared to control normal tissues,including cervical cancer.An increased expression of TFRC was associated with higher Tumor(T)and Node(N)stage,as well as a higher clinical stage.Kaplan–Meier(KM)survival analysis investigated that higher TFRC expression patients have a poor overall survival(OS),disease specific survival(DSS)and progress free interval(PFI).Both KEGG and GSEA enriched signaling pathway by high TFRC and low TFRC groups.There was a significant negative linear correlation between TFRC expression and immune infiltration.TFRC affects the prognosis of cervical cancer patients through immune pathway.Conclusions:Cervical cancer patients with TFRC expression may have a worse prognosis.展开更多
Background:Owing to the occurrence of primary or secondary tolerance,the efficacy of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients is limited.Therefore,the mechanism underlying this tolerance needs to be fur...Background:Owing to the occurrence of primary or secondary tolerance,the efficacy of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients is limited.Therefore,the mechanism underlying this tolerance needs to be further investigated.B cell–specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1(BMI1)is associated with cancer stem cell tumorigenesis,progression,and the maintenance of the self-renewal.However,the effect of BMI1 expression on immune infiltration and prognosis in HCC is still unclear.Methods:To assess the relationship between BMI1 expression and HCC prognosis and immune infiltration,the GEPIA database,TIMER database,and K-M plotter were used.TIMER database was used to determine the levels ofBMI1 in various tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues,and examine the association between BMI1 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells.GEPIA database was applied to determine BMI1 expression in various tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues.K-M Plotter was used to study the relationships among BMI1 expression,clinicopathological features,and survival rates.Results:BMI1 expression was markedly higher in various solid tumors compared with that in the respective normal tissues,including HCC,and high expression led to poor relapse-free survival and overall survival in HCC patients.BMI1 overexpression was also correlated with the infiltration of immune cells(eg,B cells,CD8+T cells,CD4+T cells,dendritic cells,neutrophils,and macrophages)and positively associated with different subsets of T cells,monocytes,and M1 macrophages,among others.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that high BMI1 expression is strongly correlated with immune infiltration and poor prognosis in HCC.Increased expression of BMI1 might thus be a potential mechanism of immune tolerance in this disease.展开更多
Background: A major cause of cancer death worldwide is bladder cancer, which is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary tract. PAEP is a member of the kernel lipocalin superfamily whose members share relatively...Background: A major cause of cancer death worldwide is bladder cancer, which is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary tract. PAEP is a member of the kernel lipocalin superfamily whose members share relatively low sequence similarity but have highly conserved exon/intron structure and three-dimensional protein folding. Most lipocalins are clustered on the long arm of chromosome 9. The purpose of this study was to clarify the correlation between PAEP expression level and bladder cancer. Methods: In the TCGA database, we obtained clinical and RNA sequencing data of 431 BLCA patients, including 412 BLCA tissues and 19 normal bladder tissues in the study. Analyses of bioinformatics were conducted in this study to determine the role of PAEP in bladder cancer. A quantitative real-time PCR method was used to quantitate the gene expression profile. Additionally, the effect of PAEP on tumor immune infiltration and prognosis was analyzed. Results: PAEP was a poor prognostic biomarker of bladder cancer because it was significantly upregulated. bladder cancer patients with higher PAEP expression had poor outcomes. An AUC of 0.780 was calculated from the area under the ROC curve. PAEP was associated with T stage, pathologic stage, Histologic grade and Subtype of bladder cancer patients, and served as an independent predictor of overall survival in bladder cancer patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed PAEP was obviously enriched in pathways connected with carcinogenesis and immunosuppression. The expression of PAEP was significantly associated with tumor immune cells and immune checkpoints according to ssGSEA and Spearman correlation analysis. Conclusions: In this study, we screened and detected a mRNA, PAEP is a prognostic and immune-related biomarker in BLCA, which may contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of BLCA.展开更多
Endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress,as an emerging hallmark feature of cancer,has a considerable impact on cell proliferation,metastasis,invasion,and chemotherapy resistance.Ovarian cancer(OvCa)is one of the leading cause...Endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress,as an emerging hallmark feature of cancer,has a considerable impact on cell proliferation,metastasis,invasion,and chemotherapy resistance.Ovarian cancer(OvCa)is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality across the world due to the late stage of disease at diagnosis.Studies have explored the influence of ER stress on OvCa in recent years,while the predictive role of ER stress-related genes in OvCa prognosis remains unexplored.Here,we enrolled 552 cases of ER stress-related genes involved in OvCa from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)cohorts for the screening of prognosis-related genes.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression was applied to establish an ER stress-related risk signature based on the TCGA cohort.A seven-gene signature revealed a favorable predictive efficacy for the TCGA,International Cancer Genome Consortium(ICGC),and another GEO cohort(P<0.001,P<0.001,and P=0.04,respectively).Moreover,functional annotation indicated that this signature was enriched in cellular response and senescence,cytokines interaction,as well as multiple immune-associated terms.The immune infiltration profiles further delineated an immunologic unresponsive status in the high-risk group.In conclusion,ER stress-related genes are vital factors predicting the prognosis of OvCa,and possess great application potential in the clinic.展开更多
Background:Cytochrome b561(CYB561)plays a critical role in neuroendocrine function,cardiovascular regulation,and tumor growth;however,the prognostic value of CYB561 in patients with breast cancer and the relationship ...Background:Cytochrome b561(CYB561)plays a critical role in neuroendocrine function,cardiovascular regulation,and tumor growth;however,the prognostic value of CYB561 in patients with breast cancer and the relationship between CYB561 expression and immune infiltration in breast cancer remain unclear.Methods:The mRNA expression and clinical data of patients with breast cancer were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database.Functional enrichment analysis was used to explore underlying biological functions associated with CYB561.The methylation status of CYB561 was analyzed using the MethSurv database.The enrichment score of immune cell infiltration for CYB561 in breast cancer was calculated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis.The prognostic value of CYB561 was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis.Based on the results of the multivariate Cox analysis,a nomogram was constructed to predict the effect of CYB561 expression on overall survival(OS).Results:The results showed that CYB561 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues.Hypomethylation of CYB561 is associated with an unfavorable prognosis.In multivariate Cox regression analysis,CYB561 was an independent prognostic factor for OS.Functional enrichment analysis indicated that estrogen signaling pathway,inflammatory response,KRAS signaling pathway,epithelial-mesenchymal transition,leukocyte migration,and regulation of lymphocyte activation were strongly enriched in the low CYB561 expression group.Additionally,CYB561 expression was negatively correlated with immune infiltration of B cells,plasmacytoid dendritic cells,dendritic cells,and neutrophils.Conclusion:CYB561 may serve as a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis.展开更多
BACKGROUND Metabolic reprogramming has been identified as a core hallmark of cancer.Solute carrier family 2 is a major glucose carrier family.It consists of 14 members,and we mainly study solute carrier family 2 membe...BACKGROUND Metabolic reprogramming has been identified as a core hallmark of cancer.Solute carrier family 2 is a major glucose carrier family.It consists of 14 members,and we mainly study solute carrier family 2 member 1(SLC2A1)and solute carrier family 2 member 2(SLC2A2)here.SLC2A1,mainly existing in human erythrocytes,brain endothelial cells,and normal placenta,was found to be increased in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),while SLC2A2,the major transporter of the normal liver,was decreased in HCC.AIM To identify if SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were associated with immune infiltration in addition to participating in the metabolic reprogramming in HCC.METHODS The expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were tested in HepG2 cells,HepG215 cells,and multiple databases.The clinical characteristics and survival data of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were examined by multiple databases.The correlation between SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 was analyzed by multiple databases.The functions and pathways in which SLC2A1,SLC2A2,and frequently altered neighbor genes were involved were discussed in String.Immune infiltration levels and immune marker genes associated with SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were discussed from multiple databases.RESULTS The expression level of SLC2A1 was up-regulated,but the expression level of SLC2A2 was down-regulated in HepG2 cells,HepG215 cells,and liver cancer patients.The expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were related to tumor volume,grade,and stage in HCC.Interestingly,the expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were negatively correlated.Further,high SLC2A1 expression and low SLC2A2 expression were linked to poor overall survival and relapse-free survival.SLC2A1,SLC2A2,and frequently altered neighbor genes played a major role in the occurrence and development of tumors.Notably,SLC2A1 was positively correlated with tumor immune infiltration,while SLC2A2 was negatively correlated with tumor immune infiltration.Particularly,SLC2A2 methylation was positively correlated with lymphocytes.CONCLUSION SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 are independent therapeutic targets for HCC,and they are quintessential marker molecules for predicting and regulating the number and status of immune cells in HCC.展开更多
BACKGROUND Spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 3(SKA3)is a malignancyassociated gene that plays a critical role in the regulation of chromosome separation and cell division.However,the molecular mechani...BACKGROUND Spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 3(SKA3)is a malignancyassociated gene that plays a critical role in the regulation of chromosome separation and cell division.However,the molecular mechanism through which SKA3 regulates tumor cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)has not been fully elucidated.AIM To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of SKA3 in HCC.METHODS SKA3 expression,clinicopathological,and survival analyses were performed using multiple public database platforms,and the results were verified by Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining using collected clinical samples.Functional enrichment analyses were performed to evaluate the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of SKA3 in HCC.Furthermore,the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource and single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(ssGSEA)algorithms were utilized to investigate the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in HCC.The response to chemotherapeutic drugs was evaluated by the R package“pRRophetic”.RESULTS We found that upregulated SKA3 expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC.Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that SKA3 was an independent risk factor for survival.GSEA revealed that SKA3 expression may facilitate proliferation and migratory processes by regulating the cell cycle and DNA repair.Moreover,patients with high SKA3 expression had significantly decreased ratios of CD8+T cells,natural killer cells,and dendritic cells.Drug sensitivity analysis showed that the high SKA3 group was more sensitive to sorafenib,sunitinib,paclitaxel,doxorubicin,gemcitabine,and vx-680.CONCLUSION High SKA3 expression led to poor prognosis in patients with HCC by enhancing HCC proliferation and repressing immune cell infiltration surrounding HCC.SKA3 may be used as a biomarker for poor prognosis and as a therapeutic target in HCC.展开更多
The aim of this study was to reveal genes associated with breast cancer metastasis,to investigate their intrinsic relationship with immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment,and to screen for prognostic b...The aim of this study was to reveal genes associated with breast cancer metastasis,to investigate their intrinsic relationship with immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment,and to screen for prognostic biomarkers.Gene expression data of breast cancer patients and their metastases were downloaded from the GEO,TCGA database.R language package was used to screen for differentially expressed genes,enrichment analysis of genes,PPI network construction,and also to elucidate key genes for diagnostic and prognostic survival.Spearman’s r correlation was used to analyze the correlation between key genes and infiltrating immune cells.We screened 25 hub genes,FN1,CLEC5A,ATP8B4,TLR7,LY86,PTGER3 and other genes were differentially expressed in cancer and paraneoplastic tissues.However,patients with higher expression of CD1C,IL-18 breast cancer had a better prognosis in the 10 years survival period,while patients with high expression of FN1,EIF4EBP1 tumors had a worse prognosis.In addition,TP53 and HIF1 genes are closely related to the signaling pathway of breast cancer metastasis.In this study,gene expression of ATP8B4 and CD1C were correlated with cancer tissue infiltration of CD8^(+)T lymphocytes,while GSE43816,GSE62327 and TCGA databases showed that CD8^(+)T lymphocytes were closely associated with breast cancer progression.Functional enrichment analysis of genes based on expression differences yielded key genes of prognostic value in the breast cancer microenvironment.展开更多
WWTR1,a gene related to the TGF-βsignaling pathway,has been elucidated to be involved in oncogenesis in multiple studies.There is,however,no research on its link to immune infiltration in colon cancer.The TCGA databa...WWTR1,a gene related to the TGF-βsignaling pathway,has been elucidated to be involved in oncogenesis in multiple studies.There is,however,no research on its link to immune infiltration in colon cancer.The TCGA database has identified WWTR1,a gene related to the TGF-βsignaling pathway,which is lowly expressed in colon cancer patients compared to normal subjects.Meanwhile,we produced the Kapan-Meier curve with GEO and the TCGA database,which revealed that colon cancer patients with high WWTR1 expression had a poor prognosis.We discovered that high expression of WWTR1 in colon cancer was associated with clinical stage,pathological T-stage,and lymphatic metastasis after examining the clinical characteristics of colon cancer patients.WWTR1 was found to be an independent predictive factor for colon cancer in a multivariate Cox regression study.Infiltration of immunological cells(B cells,CD8^(+)T cells,CD4^(+)T cells,Macrophage,Neutrophil,Dendritic cells)was linked to WWTR1 expression.In colon cancer,WWTR1 expression was also found to be favorably linked with major immune cell markers.According to an analysis of WWTR1 DCGs,GO,and KEGG enrichment analysis,WWTR1 expression levels were associated with ameboidal-type cell migration,focal adhesion,actin binding,Chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species,Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,and Alzheimer disease.These findings imply that WWTR1 is a prognostically valuable and important biomarker for colon cancer,and imply that its expression is strongly linked to colon cancer immune infiltration,making it a potential new target for colon cancer biotherapy.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common immunogenic malignant tumor.Although the new strategies of immunotherapy and targeted therapy have made considerable progress in the treatment of HCC,the 5-year survival rate o...Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common immunogenic malignant tumor.Although the new strategies of immunotherapy and targeted therapy have made considerable progress in the treatment of HCC,the 5-year survival rate of patients is still very low.The identification of new prognostic signatures and the exploration of the immune microenvironment are crucial to the optimization and improvement of molecular therapy strategies.We studied the potential clinical benefits of the inflammation regulator miR-93-3p and mined its target genes.Weighted gene coexpression network analysis(WGCNA),univariate and multivariate COX regression and the LASSO COX algorithm are employed to identify prognostic-related genes and construct multi-gene signature-based risk model and nomogram for survival prediction.Support vector machine(SVM)based Cibersort’s deconvolution algorithm and gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)is used to evaluate the changes in tumor immune microenvironment and pathway differences.The study found the favorable prognostic performance of miR-93-3p and identified 389 prognostic-related target genes.The risk model based on a novel 5-gene signature(cct5,cdk4,cenpa,dtnbp1 and flvcr1)was developed and has prominent prognostic significance in the training cohort(P<0.0001)and validation cohort(P=0.0016).The nomogram constructed by combining the gene signature and the AJCC stage further improves the survival prediction ability of the gene signature.The infiltration level of multiple immune cells(especially T cells,B cells and macrophages)were positively correlated with the expression of prognostic signature.In addition,we found that gene markers of T cells and B cells is monitored and regulated by prognostic signature.Meanwhile,several GSEA pathways related to the immune system are enriched in the high-risk group.In general,we integrated the WGCNA,LASSO COX and SVM algorithms to develop and verify 5-gene signatures and nomograms related to immune infiltration to improve the survival prediction of patients.展开更多
Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a common microvascular complication that easily leads to end-stage renal disease.It is important to explore the key biomarkers andmolecular mechanisms relevant to diabetic nephropathy(DN).We...Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a common microvascular complication that easily leads to end-stage renal disease.It is important to explore the key biomarkers andmolecular mechanisms relevant to diabetic nephropathy(DN).We used highthroughput RNA sequencing to obtain the genes related to DN glomerular tissues and healthy glomerular tissues of mice.Then we used LIMMA to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between DN and non-diabetic glomerular samples.And we performed KEGG,gene ontology functional(GO)enrichment,and gene set enrichment analysis to reveal the signaling pathway of the disease.The CIBERSORT algorithm based on support vector machine was used to determine the immune infiltration score.Random forest algorithm and Cytoscape obtained hub genes.Finally,we applied co-staining,immunohistochemical staining,RT-qPCR and western blotting to validate the protein and mRNA expression of both hub genes.We obtained 913 DEGs mainly related to inflammatory factors and immunity.GSEA results showed that differential genes were mainly enriched in IL-17 signaling pathway,lipid and atherosclerosis,rheumatoid arthritis,TNF signaling pathway,neutrophil extracellular trap formation,Staphylococcus aureus infection and other pathways.The intersection of the random forest algorithm and Cytoscape revealed both hub genes of CD300A and CXCL1.Experiments have shown that the both key genes of CD300A and CXCL1 shown increased expression in glomerular podocytes,and are related to the inflammation of diabetic nephropathy.And immunohistochemical staining and RT-qPCR further confirmed that the protein and mRNA expression level of CD300A or CXCL1 in glomeruli tissue in DN mice were increased.The expression levels of CD300A and CXCL1 increased significantly under HG(high glucose)stimulation,further confirming that diabetes can lead to increased levels of CD300A and CXCL1 at the cellular level.Through bioinformatics analysis,machine learning algorithms,and experimental research,CD300A and CXCL1 are confirmed as both potential biomarkers in diabetic nephropathy.And we further revealed the main pathways of differential genes and the differentially distributed immune infiltrating cells in diabetic nephropathy.展开更多
Glutamine metabolism(GM)plays an important role in tumor growth and proliferation.Skin cutaneous melanoma(SKCM)is a glutamine-dependent cancer.However,the molecular characteristics and action mechanism of GM on SKCM r...Glutamine metabolism(GM)plays an important role in tumor growth and proliferation.Skin cutaneous melanoma(SKCM)is a glutamine-dependent cancer.However,the molecular characteristics and action mechanism of GM on SKCM remain unclear.Therefore,we aimed to explore the effects of GM-related genes on survival,clinicopathological characteristics,and the tumor microenvironment in SKCM.In this study,682 SKCM samples were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)databases.Consensus clustering was used to classify SKCM samples into distinct subtypes based on 41 GM-related genes.Differences in survival,immune infiltration,clinical characteristics,and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathways as well as differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between subgroups were evaluated.A prognostic model was constructed according to prognostic DEGs.Differential analyses in survival,immune infiltration,tumor microenvironment(TME),tumor mutation burden(TMB),stemness,and drug sensitivity between risk groups were conducted.We identified two distinct GM-related subtypes on SKCM and found that GM-related gene alterations were associated with survival probability,clinical features,biological function,and immune infiltration.Then a risk model based on six DEGs(IL18,SEMA6A,PAEP,TNFRSF17,AIM2,and CXCL10)was constructed and validated for predicting overall survival in SKCM patients.The results showed that the risk score was negatively correlated with CD8+T cells,activated CD4+memory T cells,M1 macrophages,andγδT cells.The group with a low-risk score was accompanied by a better survival rate with higher TME scores and lower stemness index.Moreover,the group with high-and low-risk score had a significant difference with the sensitivity of 75 drugs(p<0.001).Overall,distinct subtypes in SKCM patients based on GM-related genes were identified and the risk model was constructed,which might contribute to prognosis prediction,guide clinical therapy,and develop novel therapeutic strategies.展开更多
Objective:Constructing a prognostic model for gastric cancer(GC)based on cuproptosisrelated LncRNAs(CRLs)and predict the traditional Chinese medicine that regulate cuproptosis-related genes(CRGs).Methods:Clinical data...Objective:Constructing a prognostic model for gastric cancer(GC)based on cuproptosisrelated LncRNAs(CRLs)and predict the traditional Chinese medicine that regulate cuproptosis-related genes(CRGs).Methods:Clinical data and RNA-seq of 443 GC cases were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,and CRLs were screened by Pearson analysis,Cox regression,and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression to construct a risk model to predict GC prognosis,and the nomogram was constructed by combining risk scores and clinical characteristics.The accuracy of the model was validated by the receiver operating characteristic curve,Kaplan-Meier curves and C-index.To assess the correlation of risk scores with immune infiltration,immune checkpoint gene expression and chemotherapy/targeted agents.The Coremine Medical database was applied to predict potential traditional Chinese medicine that regulate CRGs.Results:Risk models for GC were constructed based on the risk scores of seven CRLs(AP001107.9,VCAN-AS1,AC016394.2,LINC02675,AC100814.1,HAGLR,and LINC01094).The AUC of the risk model predicting 1-,3-,and 5-year survival in GC patients was 0.720,0.682,and 0.711,and its prognostic value was better than age,Grade classification,and TNM stage.The AUC of the risk model combining age and TNM stage to predict 1-year survival in GC patients was 0.793.The risk score correlated with the degree of enrichment of immune cells such as tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes and regulatory T cells and the expression of 22 immune checkpoint genes such as LAG3,ICOS,CD28,NRP1 and the sensitivity of 13 chemotherapeutic/targeted agents.There are 58 traditional Chinese medicine with potential regulatory effects on CRGs,mainly for clearing heat and detoxing,promoting blood circulation and relieving pain,which are mainly attributed to the liver,spleen and lung meridians.Spirulina and osthole have potential regulatory effects on FDX1,a key gene in the death mechanism of cuproptosis.Conclusions:A risk signature constructed based on seven CRLs could assess the prognosis and immunity of GC,and Spirulina and Serpentine may have important regulatory efficacy on the mechanism of copper cuproptosis.展开更多
文摘To the Editor:Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy characterized by a poor prog-nosis,with a 5-year survival rate of<10%[1].Furthermore,only a minority of patients(<20%)qualify for curative-intent resec-tion,and even among those who undergo this procedure,the risk of recurrence within three years remains alarmingly high,reach-ing up to 70%[2].Due to the lack of specific clinical manifes-tations of pancreatic cancer,most cases have metastasized or in-vaded the major vessels around the pancreas at the time of initial diagnosis,resulting in a low surgical resection rate.Even patients who undergo surgical resection often face a poor prognosis[3].In recent years,neoadjuvant chemotherapy using agents such as gemcitabine,5-fluorouracil,albumin-bound paclitaxel,modified fluorouracil/leucovorin plus irinotecan,and oxaliplatin(mFOLFIRI-NOX),targeted therapies addressing molecular subtypes of pan-creatic cancer,and immunotherapies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have shown efficacy in improving the overall prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer,although the impact remains modest[4,5].Therefore,novel therapeutic strategies and prognostic evaluation systems are urgently needed to enhance the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer.
基金Supported by Henan Province Science and Technology Research Project,No.232102310043Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research and Development Plan Joint Fund,No.222103810047Key Scientific Research Project Plan of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province,No.22A320033.
文摘BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)remains a major global health burden due to its high incidence and mortality,with treatment efficacy often hindered by tumor hetero-geneity,drug resistance,and a complex tumor microenvironment(TME).Lactate metabolism plays a pivotal role in reshaping the TME,promoting immune eva-sion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition,making it a promising target for novel therapeutic strategies and prognostic modeling in CRC.AIM To offer an in-depth analysis of the role of lactate metabolism in CRC,high-lighting its significance in the TME and therapeutic response.METHODS Utilizing single-cell and transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas,we identified key lactate metabolic activities,particularly in the monocyte/macrophage subpopulation.RESULTS Seven lactate metabolism-associated genes were significantly linked to CRC prognosis and used to construct a predictive model.This model accurately forecasts patient outcomes and reveals notable distinct patterns of immune infiltration and transcriptomic profiles mutation profiles between high-and low-risk groups.High-risk patients demonstrated elevated immune cell infiltration,increased mutation frequencies,and heightened sensitivity to specific drugs(AZD6482,tozasertib,and SB216763),providing a foundation for personalized treatment approaches.Additionally,a nomogram integrating clinical and metabolic data effectively predicted 1-,3-,and 5-year survival rates.CONCLUSION This report underscored the pivotal mechanism of lactate metabolism in CRC prognosis and suggest novel avenues for therapeutic intervention.
文摘AIM:To investigate cuproptosis-related molecular and immune infiltration in age-related macular degeneration(AMD)development and establish a predictive model.METHODS:The expression profiles of cuproptosisrelated genes and immune signature in AMD based on the microarray dataset GSE29801 were analyzed.A total of 142 AMD samples were used to identify the cuproptosisrelated differentially expressed genes(Cu-DEGs),together with the immune cell infiltration.To further refine the list of potential genes for AMD diagnosis,three machine learning techniques were used,and an external dataset were applied for confirming the accuracy of the predictive performance.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)were also performed to examine the level of mRNA of hub genes.The activated immune responses and Cu-DEGs were assessed between AMD and controls.RESULTS:Six genes,including ATP7A,DBT,VEGFA,UBE2D3,CP,SLC31A1,were screened as cuproptosissignature in AMD via three machine learning methods.Next,SLC31A1 and VEGFA was selected as hub genes by performance evaluation in an external dataset GSE160011,further analysis showed that SLC31A1 and VEGFA were associated with pathways related to immune signaling and immune function,which were then observed in relation to infiltrating immune cells.Finally,the mRNA expression levels of SLC31A1 and VEGFA were significantly higher in laser induced choroidal neovascularization(CNV)group than in control group detected by RT-PCR.CONCLUSION:In this study,the possible relationship between cuproptosis and AMD is expounded systematically.A predictive model is developed to assess the risk of cuproptosis-related genes and their clinical prognostic value in AMD patients.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82173359Basic Research and Frontier Exploration Project of Chongqing and Technology Commission,No.cstc2018jcyjAX0181Kuanren Talents Program of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.
文摘BACKGROUND Metadherin(MTDH)is a key oncogene in most cancer types,including hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC).Notably,MTDH does not affect the stemness pheno-type or immune infiltration of HCC.AIM To explore the role of MTDH on stemness and immune infiltration in HCC.METHODS MTDH expression in HCC tissues was detected using TCGA and GEO databases.Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the tissue samples.MTDH was stably knocked down or overexpressed by lentiviral transfection in the two HCC cell lines.The invasion and migration abilities of HCC cells were evaluated using Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays.Next,we obtained liver cancer stem cells from the spheroids by culturing them in a serum-free medium.Gene expression was determined by western blotting and quantitative reverse transcri-ption PCR.Flow cytometry,immunofluorescence,and tumor sphere formation assays were used to characterize stem-like cells.The effects of MTDH inhibition on tumor growth were evaluated in vivo.The correlation of MTDH with immune cells,immunomodulators,and chemokines was analyzed using ssGSEA and TISIDB databases.RESULTS HCC tissues expressed higher levels of MTDH than normal liver tissues.High MTDH expression was associated with a poor prognosis.HCC cells overex-pressing MTDH exhibited stronger invasion and migration abilities,exhibited a stem cell-like phenotype,and formed spheres;however,MTDH inhibition attenuated these effects.MTDH inhibition suppressed HCC progression and CD133 expression in vivo.MTDH was positively correlated with immature dendritic,T helper 2 cells,central memory CD8^(+)T,memory B,activated dendritic,natural killer(NK)T,NK,activated CD4^(+)T,and central memory CD4^(+)T cells.MTDH was negatively correlated with activated CD8^(+)T cells,eosinophils,activated B cells,monocytes,macrophages,and mast cells.A positive correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CXCL2 expression,whereas a negative correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CX3CL1 and CXCL12 expression.CONCLUSION High levels of MTDH expression in patients with HCC are associated with poor prognosis,promoting tumor stemness,immune infiltration,and HCC progression.
基金supported by the Modern Traditional Chinese Medicine Haihe Laboratory science and technology project(22HHZYSS00005)and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Young Qihuang Scholar Project.
文摘Background:This study aims to explore the involvement of ferroptosis-related genes and pathogenesis in pancreatic cancer and predict potential therapeutic interventions using Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods:We utilized gene expression datasets,ferroptosis upregulated genes and applied machine learning algorithms,including LASSO and SVM-RFE,to identify key ferroptosis-related genes in pancreatic cancer.Perform Gene Ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,and Disease Ontology enrichment analysis,immune infiltration analysis and correlation analysis between immune infiltrating cells and characteristic genes on differentially expressed genes using the R software package.Retrieve potential traditional Chinese medicine for targeted ferroptosis gene therapy for pancreatic cancer through Coremine and Herb databases.Results:Seventeen feature genes were identified,with significant implications for immune cell infiltration in pancreatic cancer.The results of immune cell infiltration analysis showed that B cells naive,B cells memory,T cells regulatory,and M0 macrophages were significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer patients;Mast cells resting were significantly downregulated.Chinese herbal medicines such as ginkgo,turmeric,ginseng,Codonopsis pilosula,Zedoary turmeric,deer tendons,senna leaves,Guanmu Tong,Huangqi,and Banzhilian are potential drugs for targeted ferroptosis gene therapy for pancreatic cancer.Conclusion:TIMP1 emerged as a key gene,with several TCM herbs predicted to modulate its expression,offering new avenues for treatment.
基金Supported by Training Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.2021-ZLLH-05National Cancer Center Climbing Fund,No.NCC201906B02+1 种基金Shenyang Municipal Science and Technology Public Health Research and Development Special Project,No.21-172-9-03 and No.22-321-33-53Dalian University of Technology-Liaoning Cancer Hospital Medical Engineering Cross-Union Fund,No.LD202309。
文摘BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.Glycolysis has been demonstrated to be pivotal for the carcinogenesis of GC.AIM To develop a glycolysis-based gene signature for prognostic evaluation in GC patients.METHODS Differentially expressed genes correlated with glycolysis were identified in stomach adenocarcinoma data(STAD).A risk score was established through a univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis.The model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves.RNA-sequencing data from high-and low-glycolysis groups of STAD patients were analyzed using Cibersort algorithm and Spearman correlation to analyze the interaction of immune cell infiltration and glycolysis.Multiomics characteristics in different glycolysis status were also analyzed.RESULTS A five-gene signature comprising syndecan 2,versican,malic enzyme 1,pyruvate carboxylase and SRY-box transcription factor 9 was constructed.Patients were separated to high-or low-glycolysis groups according to risk scores.Overall survival of patients with high glycolysis was poorer.The sensitivity and specificity of the model in prediction of survival of GC patients were also observed by receiver operating characteristic curves.A nomogram including clinicopathological characteristics and the risk score also showed good prediction for 3-and 5-year overall survival.Gene set variation analysis showed that high-glycolysis patients were related to dysregulation of pancreas beta cells and estrogen late pathways,and low-glycolysis patients were related to Myc targets,oxidative phosphorylation,mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling and G2M checkpoint pathways.Tumor-infiltrating immune cells and multiomics analysis suggested that the different glycolysis status was significantly correlated with multiple immune cell infiltration.The patients with high glycolysis had lower tumor mutational burden and neoantigen load,higher incidence of microsatellite instability and lower chemosensitivity.High glycolysis status was often found among patients with grade 2/3 cancer or poor prognosis.CONCLUSION The genetic characteristics revealed by glycolysis could predict the prognosis of GC.High glycolysis significantly affects GC phenotype,but the detailed mechanism needs to be further studied.
文摘BACKGROUND Colon adenocarcinoma(COAD)is a malignant tumor of the digestive system.The mechanisms underlying COAD development and progression are still largely unknown.AIM To identify the role of canopy FGF signaling regulator 3(CNPY3)in the development and progression of COAD by using bioinformatic tools and functional experiments.METHODS Bioinformatic data were downloaded from public databases.The associations of clinicopathological features,survival,and immune function with the expression of CNPY3 were analyzed.Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were used to explore the related pathways.Then,quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used for validation of CNPY3 expression in clinical samples and tumor cell lines.Cell lines with CNPY3 knockdown were constructed to further analyze gene functions.The functional experiments included proliferation,invasion,migration and apoptosis assays.RESULTS In both the TCGA cohort and the merged dataset,elevated CNPY3 expression was observed in tumor tissues.High CNPY3 expression correlated with adverse survival and compromised immune functions.Functional enrichment analysis suggested that the pro-oncogenic properties of CNPY3 might be linked to the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.CNPY3 expression was validated at both the RNA and protein levels.Functional assays indicated that cell proliferation,invasion,and migration were inhibited and cell apoptosis was promoted after CNPY3 knockdown.Additionally,Western blot results revealed the downregulation of key proteins in the PI3K/AKT pathway following CNPY3 knockdown.PI3K/AKT pathway activator reversed the decrease in proliferation,invasion,and migration and the increase in apoptosis.Notably,CNPY3 knockdown still affected the cells when the pathway was inhibited.CONCLUSION This study showed that CNPY3 is upregulated in COAD and might regulate COAD development and progression by the PI3K/AKT pathway.Thus,CNPY3 might be a promising therapeutic target.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[No.81602020]the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute&Hospital Research Project[No.1805].
文摘Background:The molecular mechanism underlying the involvement of the Transferrin receptor(TFRC)in cervical cancer remains poorly understood.This study aims to elucidate the role of TFRC in cervical cancer by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Genotype-Tissue Expression(GTEx)databases.Methods:TFRC protein expression was obtained from Human Protein Altas(HPA).All datas were collected from TCGA and GTEx.In this study,we analyzed the expression of TFRC in cervical cancer and its clinical significance.Through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and Gene set enrichment analyses(GSEA),investigated the related molecular pathways of TFRC.The relationship between TFRC and immune infiltration was then examined.The prognosis of different immune cell subsets was then analyzed after dividing cervical cancer patients into high and low expression of TFRC groups.Results:TFRC is highly expressed in various tumor tissues compared to control normal tissues,including cervical cancer.An increased expression of TFRC was associated with higher Tumor(T)and Node(N)stage,as well as a higher clinical stage.Kaplan–Meier(KM)survival analysis investigated that higher TFRC expression patients have a poor overall survival(OS),disease specific survival(DSS)and progress free interval(PFI).Both KEGG and GSEA enriched signaling pathway by high TFRC and low TFRC groups.There was a significant negative linear correlation between TFRC expression and immune infiltration.TFRC affects the prognosis of cervical cancer patients through immune pathway.Conclusions:Cervical cancer patients with TFRC expression may have a worse prognosis.
基金the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province(Youth Projectno.2021JQ-423)the foundation of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University(no.RC(XM)201706)。
文摘Background:Owing to the occurrence of primary or secondary tolerance,the efficacy of immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients is limited.Therefore,the mechanism underlying this tolerance needs to be further investigated.B cell–specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1(BMI1)is associated with cancer stem cell tumorigenesis,progression,and the maintenance of the self-renewal.However,the effect of BMI1 expression on immune infiltration and prognosis in HCC is still unclear.Methods:To assess the relationship between BMI1 expression and HCC prognosis and immune infiltration,the GEPIA database,TIMER database,and K-M plotter were used.TIMER database was used to determine the levels ofBMI1 in various tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues,and examine the association between BMI1 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells.GEPIA database was applied to determine BMI1 expression in various tumor tissues and corresponding normal tissues.K-M Plotter was used to study the relationships among BMI1 expression,clinicopathological features,and survival rates.Results:BMI1 expression was markedly higher in various solid tumors compared with that in the respective normal tissues,including HCC,and high expression led to poor relapse-free survival and overall survival in HCC patients.BMI1 overexpression was also correlated with the infiltration of immune cells(eg,B cells,CD8+T cells,CD4+T cells,dendritic cells,neutrophils,and macrophages)and positively associated with different subsets of T cells,monocytes,and M1 macrophages,among others.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that high BMI1 expression is strongly correlated with immune infiltration and poor prognosis in HCC.Increased expression of BMI1 might thus be a potential mechanism of immune tolerance in this disease.
文摘Background: A major cause of cancer death worldwide is bladder cancer, which is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary tract. PAEP is a member of the kernel lipocalin superfamily whose members share relatively low sequence similarity but have highly conserved exon/intron structure and three-dimensional protein folding. Most lipocalins are clustered on the long arm of chromosome 9. The purpose of this study was to clarify the correlation between PAEP expression level and bladder cancer. Methods: In the TCGA database, we obtained clinical and RNA sequencing data of 431 BLCA patients, including 412 BLCA tissues and 19 normal bladder tissues in the study. Analyses of bioinformatics were conducted in this study to determine the role of PAEP in bladder cancer. A quantitative real-time PCR method was used to quantitate the gene expression profile. Additionally, the effect of PAEP on tumor immune infiltration and prognosis was analyzed. Results: PAEP was a poor prognostic biomarker of bladder cancer because it was significantly upregulated. bladder cancer patients with higher PAEP expression had poor outcomes. An AUC of 0.780 was calculated from the area under the ROC curve. PAEP was associated with T stage, pathologic stage, Histologic grade and Subtype of bladder cancer patients, and served as an independent predictor of overall survival in bladder cancer patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed PAEP was obviously enriched in pathways connected with carcinogenesis and immunosuppression. The expression of PAEP was significantly associated with tumor immune cells and immune checkpoints according to ssGSEA and Spearman correlation analysis. Conclusions: In this study, we screened and detected a mRNA, PAEP is a prognostic and immune-related biomarker in BLCA, which may contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of BLCA.
基金This work was supported by the Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center’s Shenkang Promotion of Clin‑ical Skills and Clinical Innovation in Municipal Hospitals Three-Year Action Plan(No.2020‒2023)the Major Clinical Research Project(No.SHDC2020CR1048B)the Pilot Construction Project of High-Level Universities in Shanghai(No.DGF501017-06),China。
文摘Endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress,as an emerging hallmark feature of cancer,has a considerable impact on cell proliferation,metastasis,invasion,and chemotherapy resistance.Ovarian cancer(OvCa)is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality across the world due to the late stage of disease at diagnosis.Studies have explored the influence of ER stress on OvCa in recent years,while the predictive role of ER stress-related genes in OvCa prognosis remains unexplored.Here,we enrolled 552 cases of ER stress-related genes involved in OvCa from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)cohorts for the screening of prognosis-related genes.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression was applied to establish an ER stress-related risk signature based on the TCGA cohort.A seven-gene signature revealed a favorable predictive efficacy for the TCGA,International Cancer Genome Consortium(ICGC),and another GEO cohort(P<0.001,P<0.001,and P=0.04,respectively).Moreover,functional annotation indicated that this signature was enriched in cellular response and senescence,cytokines interaction,as well as multiple immune-associated terms.The immune infiltration profiles further delineated an immunologic unresponsive status in the high-risk group.In conclusion,ER stress-related genes are vital factors predicting the prognosis of OvCa,and possess great application potential in the clinic.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.82060483)Guangxi Research Foundation for Science&Technology Base and Talent Special(Grant No.AD19110079)Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province(Grant No.2020GXNSFBA238002).
文摘Background:Cytochrome b561(CYB561)plays a critical role in neuroendocrine function,cardiovascular regulation,and tumor growth;however,the prognostic value of CYB561 in patients with breast cancer and the relationship between CYB561 expression and immune infiltration in breast cancer remain unclear.Methods:The mRNA expression and clinical data of patients with breast cancer were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database.Functional enrichment analysis was used to explore underlying biological functions associated with CYB561.The methylation status of CYB561 was analyzed using the MethSurv database.The enrichment score of immune cell infiltration for CYB561 in breast cancer was calculated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis.The prognostic value of CYB561 was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis.Based on the results of the multivariate Cox analysis,a nomogram was constructed to predict the effect of CYB561 expression on overall survival(OS).Results:The results showed that CYB561 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues.Hypomethylation of CYB561 is associated with an unfavorable prognosis.In multivariate Cox regression analysis,CYB561 was an independent prognostic factor for OS.Functional enrichment analysis indicated that estrogen signaling pathway,inflammatory response,KRAS signaling pathway,epithelial-mesenchymal transition,leukocyte migration,and regulation of lymphocyte activation were strongly enriched in the low CYB561 expression group.Additionally,CYB561 expression was negatively correlated with immune infiltration of B cells,plasmacytoid dendritic cells,dendritic cells,and neutrophils.Conclusion:CYB561 may serve as a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81873112Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province,No.H2020423009+2 种基金Hundred Outstanding Innovative Talents Support Program of Universities in Hebei Province,No.SLRC2019043Basic Scientific Research Project of Hebei Provincial Colleges and Universities,No.JTZ2020005Scientific and Technological Capability Improvement Project of the Hebei University of Chinese Medicine,No.KTZ2019002.
文摘BACKGROUND Metabolic reprogramming has been identified as a core hallmark of cancer.Solute carrier family 2 is a major glucose carrier family.It consists of 14 members,and we mainly study solute carrier family 2 member 1(SLC2A1)and solute carrier family 2 member 2(SLC2A2)here.SLC2A1,mainly existing in human erythrocytes,brain endothelial cells,and normal placenta,was found to be increased in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),while SLC2A2,the major transporter of the normal liver,was decreased in HCC.AIM To identify if SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were associated with immune infiltration in addition to participating in the metabolic reprogramming in HCC.METHODS The expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were tested in HepG2 cells,HepG215 cells,and multiple databases.The clinical characteristics and survival data of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were examined by multiple databases.The correlation between SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 was analyzed by multiple databases.The functions and pathways in which SLC2A1,SLC2A2,and frequently altered neighbor genes were involved were discussed in String.Immune infiltration levels and immune marker genes associated with SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were discussed from multiple databases.RESULTS The expression level of SLC2A1 was up-regulated,but the expression level of SLC2A2 was down-regulated in HepG2 cells,HepG215 cells,and liver cancer patients.The expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were related to tumor volume,grade,and stage in HCC.Interestingly,the expression levels of SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 were negatively correlated.Further,high SLC2A1 expression and low SLC2A2 expression were linked to poor overall survival and relapse-free survival.SLC2A1,SLC2A2,and frequently altered neighbor genes played a major role in the occurrence and development of tumors.Notably,SLC2A1 was positively correlated with tumor immune infiltration,while SLC2A2 was negatively correlated with tumor immune infiltration.Particularly,SLC2A2 methylation was positively correlated with lymphocytes.CONCLUSION SLC2A1 and SLC2A2 are independent therapeutic targets for HCC,and they are quintessential marker molecules for predicting and regulating the number and status of immune cells in HCC.
基金Beijing Hope Run Special Fund of Cancer Foundation of China,No.LC2020L05.
文摘BACKGROUND Spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 3(SKA3)is a malignancyassociated gene that plays a critical role in the regulation of chromosome separation and cell division.However,the molecular mechanism through which SKA3 regulates tumor cell proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)has not been fully elucidated.AIM To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of SKA3 in HCC.METHODS SKA3 expression,clinicopathological,and survival analyses were performed using multiple public database platforms,and the results were verified by Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining using collected clinical samples.Functional enrichment analyses were performed to evaluate the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of SKA3 in HCC.Furthermore,the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource and single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(ssGSEA)algorithms were utilized to investigate the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in HCC.The response to chemotherapeutic drugs was evaluated by the R package“pRRophetic”.RESULTS We found that upregulated SKA3 expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC.Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that SKA3 was an independent risk factor for survival.GSEA revealed that SKA3 expression may facilitate proliferation and migratory processes by regulating the cell cycle and DNA repair.Moreover,patients with high SKA3 expression had significantly decreased ratios of CD8+T cells,natural killer cells,and dendritic cells.Drug sensitivity analysis showed that the high SKA3 group was more sensitive to sorafenib,sunitinib,paclitaxel,doxorubicin,gemcitabine,and vx-680.CONCLUSION High SKA3 expression led to poor prognosis in patients with HCC by enhancing HCC proliferation and repressing immune cell infiltration surrounding HCC.SKA3 may be used as a biomarker for poor prognosis and as a therapeutic target in HCC.
基金This work was supported by Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.820RC765).
文摘The aim of this study was to reveal genes associated with breast cancer metastasis,to investigate their intrinsic relationship with immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment,and to screen for prognostic biomarkers.Gene expression data of breast cancer patients and their metastases were downloaded from the GEO,TCGA database.R language package was used to screen for differentially expressed genes,enrichment analysis of genes,PPI network construction,and also to elucidate key genes for diagnostic and prognostic survival.Spearman’s r correlation was used to analyze the correlation between key genes and infiltrating immune cells.We screened 25 hub genes,FN1,CLEC5A,ATP8B4,TLR7,LY86,PTGER3 and other genes were differentially expressed in cancer and paraneoplastic tissues.However,patients with higher expression of CD1C,IL-18 breast cancer had a better prognosis in the 10 years survival period,while patients with high expression of FN1,EIF4EBP1 tumors had a worse prognosis.In addition,TP53 and HIF1 genes are closely related to the signaling pathway of breast cancer metastasis.In this study,gene expression of ATP8B4 and CD1C were correlated with cancer tissue infiltration of CD8^(+)T lymphocytes,while GSE43816,GSE62327 and TCGA databases showed that CD8^(+)T lymphocytes were closely associated with breast cancer progression.Functional enrichment analysis of genes based on expression differences yielded key genes of prognostic value in the breast cancer microenvironment.
基金supported by the Social Development Projects of Yangzhou(No.YZ2018091)the Major Public Health Projects in Yangzhou+2 种基金Screening Projects of Early Gastrointestinal Diseases(2018)the National Natural Science Foundation of Yangzhou(No.2018YXZX20184,Gastroenterology)Scientific Research Project of Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission(No.M2021039).
文摘WWTR1,a gene related to the TGF-βsignaling pathway,has been elucidated to be involved in oncogenesis in multiple studies.There is,however,no research on its link to immune infiltration in colon cancer.The TCGA database has identified WWTR1,a gene related to the TGF-βsignaling pathway,which is lowly expressed in colon cancer patients compared to normal subjects.Meanwhile,we produced the Kapan-Meier curve with GEO and the TCGA database,which revealed that colon cancer patients with high WWTR1 expression had a poor prognosis.We discovered that high expression of WWTR1 in colon cancer was associated with clinical stage,pathological T-stage,and lymphatic metastasis after examining the clinical characteristics of colon cancer patients.WWTR1 was found to be an independent predictive factor for colon cancer in a multivariate Cox regression study.Infiltration of immunological cells(B cells,CD8^(+)T cells,CD4^(+)T cells,Macrophage,Neutrophil,Dendritic cells)was linked to WWTR1 expression.In colon cancer,WWTR1 expression was also found to be favorably linked with major immune cell markers.According to an analysis of WWTR1 DCGs,GO,and KEGG enrichment analysis,WWTR1 expression levels were associated with ameboidal-type cell migration,focal adhesion,actin binding,Chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species,Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,and Alzheimer disease.These findings imply that WWTR1 is a prognostically valuable and important biomarker for colon cancer,and imply that its expression is strongly linked to colon cancer immune infiltration,making it a potential new target for colon cancer biotherapy.
基金supported by Health Commission of Hubei Province Scientific Research Project[WJ2021M217]the Scientific Research Foundation of Jianghan University[2020010].
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common immunogenic malignant tumor.Although the new strategies of immunotherapy and targeted therapy have made considerable progress in the treatment of HCC,the 5-year survival rate of patients is still very low.The identification of new prognostic signatures and the exploration of the immune microenvironment are crucial to the optimization and improvement of molecular therapy strategies.We studied the potential clinical benefits of the inflammation regulator miR-93-3p and mined its target genes.Weighted gene coexpression network analysis(WGCNA),univariate and multivariate COX regression and the LASSO COX algorithm are employed to identify prognostic-related genes and construct multi-gene signature-based risk model and nomogram for survival prediction.Support vector machine(SVM)based Cibersort’s deconvolution algorithm and gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)is used to evaluate the changes in tumor immune microenvironment and pathway differences.The study found the favorable prognostic performance of miR-93-3p and identified 389 prognostic-related target genes.The risk model based on a novel 5-gene signature(cct5,cdk4,cenpa,dtnbp1 and flvcr1)was developed and has prominent prognostic significance in the training cohort(P<0.0001)and validation cohort(P=0.0016).The nomogram constructed by combining the gene signature and the AJCC stage further improves the survival prediction ability of the gene signature.The infiltration level of multiple immune cells(especially T cells,B cells and macrophages)were positively correlated with the expression of prognostic signature.In addition,we found that gene markers of T cells and B cells is monitored and regulated by prognostic signature.Meanwhile,several GSEA pathways related to the immune system are enriched in the high-risk group.In general,we integrated the WGCNA,LASSO COX and SVM algorithms to develop and verify 5-gene signatures and nomograms related to immune infiltration to improve the survival prediction of patients.
基金These studies were supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No:81970631 to W.L.)the Fund of Biosecurity Specialized Project of PLA(No.19SWAQ18).
文摘Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is a common microvascular complication that easily leads to end-stage renal disease.It is important to explore the key biomarkers andmolecular mechanisms relevant to diabetic nephropathy(DN).We used highthroughput RNA sequencing to obtain the genes related to DN glomerular tissues and healthy glomerular tissues of mice.Then we used LIMMA to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between DN and non-diabetic glomerular samples.And we performed KEGG,gene ontology functional(GO)enrichment,and gene set enrichment analysis to reveal the signaling pathway of the disease.The CIBERSORT algorithm based on support vector machine was used to determine the immune infiltration score.Random forest algorithm and Cytoscape obtained hub genes.Finally,we applied co-staining,immunohistochemical staining,RT-qPCR and western blotting to validate the protein and mRNA expression of both hub genes.We obtained 913 DEGs mainly related to inflammatory factors and immunity.GSEA results showed that differential genes were mainly enriched in IL-17 signaling pathway,lipid and atherosclerosis,rheumatoid arthritis,TNF signaling pathway,neutrophil extracellular trap formation,Staphylococcus aureus infection and other pathways.The intersection of the random forest algorithm and Cytoscape revealed both hub genes of CD300A and CXCL1.Experiments have shown that the both key genes of CD300A and CXCL1 shown increased expression in glomerular podocytes,and are related to the inflammation of diabetic nephropathy.And immunohistochemical staining and RT-qPCR further confirmed that the protein and mRNA expression level of CD300A or CXCL1 in glomeruli tissue in DN mice were increased.The expression levels of CD300A and CXCL1 increased significantly under HG(high glucose)stimulation,further confirming that diabetes can lead to increased levels of CD300A and CXCL1 at the cellular level.Through bioinformatics analysis,machine learning algorithms,and experimental research,CD300A and CXCL1 are confirmed as both potential biomarkers in diabetic nephropathy.And we further revealed the main pathways of differential genes and the differentially distributed immune infiltrating cells in diabetic nephropathy.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Number[No.82071956])and the Clinical Research Plan of Shanghai Hospital Development Center(Grant Number[No.2020CR4065]).
文摘Glutamine metabolism(GM)plays an important role in tumor growth and proliferation.Skin cutaneous melanoma(SKCM)is a glutamine-dependent cancer.However,the molecular characteristics and action mechanism of GM on SKCM remain unclear.Therefore,we aimed to explore the effects of GM-related genes on survival,clinicopathological characteristics,and the tumor microenvironment in SKCM.In this study,682 SKCM samples were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)databases.Consensus clustering was used to classify SKCM samples into distinct subtypes based on 41 GM-related genes.Differences in survival,immune infiltration,clinical characteristics,and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathways as well as differentially expressed genes(DEGs)between subgroups were evaluated.A prognostic model was constructed according to prognostic DEGs.Differential analyses in survival,immune infiltration,tumor microenvironment(TME),tumor mutation burden(TMB),stemness,and drug sensitivity between risk groups were conducted.We identified two distinct GM-related subtypes on SKCM and found that GM-related gene alterations were associated with survival probability,clinical features,biological function,and immune infiltration.Then a risk model based on six DEGs(IL18,SEMA6A,PAEP,TNFRSF17,AIM2,and CXCL10)was constructed and validated for predicting overall survival in SKCM patients.The results showed that the risk score was negatively correlated with CD8+T cells,activated CD4+memory T cells,M1 macrophages,andγδT cells.The group with a low-risk score was accompanied by a better survival rate with higher TME scores and lower stemness index.Moreover,the group with high-and low-risk score had a significant difference with the sensitivity of 75 drugs(p<0.001).Overall,distinct subtypes in SKCM patients based on GM-related genes were identified and the risk model was constructed,which might contribute to prognosis prediction,guide clinical therapy,and develop novel therapeutic strategies.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (81573959)Capital Health Development Research Special Project (2020-2-4193)。
文摘Objective:Constructing a prognostic model for gastric cancer(GC)based on cuproptosisrelated LncRNAs(CRLs)and predict the traditional Chinese medicine that regulate cuproptosis-related genes(CRGs).Methods:Clinical data and RNA-seq of 443 GC cases were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database,and CRLs were screened by Pearson analysis,Cox regression,and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression to construct a risk model to predict GC prognosis,and the nomogram was constructed by combining risk scores and clinical characteristics.The accuracy of the model was validated by the receiver operating characteristic curve,Kaplan-Meier curves and C-index.To assess the correlation of risk scores with immune infiltration,immune checkpoint gene expression and chemotherapy/targeted agents.The Coremine Medical database was applied to predict potential traditional Chinese medicine that regulate CRGs.Results:Risk models for GC were constructed based on the risk scores of seven CRLs(AP001107.9,VCAN-AS1,AC016394.2,LINC02675,AC100814.1,HAGLR,and LINC01094).The AUC of the risk model predicting 1-,3-,and 5-year survival in GC patients was 0.720,0.682,and 0.711,and its prognostic value was better than age,Grade classification,and TNM stage.The AUC of the risk model combining age and TNM stage to predict 1-year survival in GC patients was 0.793.The risk score correlated with the degree of enrichment of immune cells such as tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes and regulatory T cells and the expression of 22 immune checkpoint genes such as LAG3,ICOS,CD28,NRP1 and the sensitivity of 13 chemotherapeutic/targeted agents.There are 58 traditional Chinese medicine with potential regulatory effects on CRGs,mainly for clearing heat and detoxing,promoting blood circulation and relieving pain,which are mainly attributed to the liver,spleen and lung meridians.Spirulina and osthole have potential regulatory effects on FDX1,a key gene in the death mechanism of cuproptosis.Conclusions:A risk signature constructed based on seven CRLs could assess the prognosis and immunity of GC,and Spirulina and Serpentine may have important regulatory efficacy on the mechanism of copper cuproptosis.
