Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jie Fang Road 1095, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
BMC Cancer. 2023 May 6;23(1):411. doi: 10.1186/s12885-023-10850-1.
We used pyroptosis-related genes to establish a risk-score model for prognostic prediction of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) patients. A total of 52 pyroptosis-associated genes were identified. Then, data for 374 LIHC patients and 50 normal individuals were acquired from the TCGA database. Through gene expression analyses, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined. The 13 pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) confirmed as potential prognostic factors through univariate Cox regression analysis were entered into Lasso and multivariate Cox regression to build a PRGs prognostic signature, containing four PRGs (BAK1, GSDME, NLRP6, and NOD2) determined as independent prognostic factors. mRNA levels were evaluated by qRT-PCR, while overall survival (OS) rates were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Enrichment analyses were done to establish the mechanisms associated with differential survival status of LIHC patients from a tumor immunology perspective. Additionally, a risk score determined by the prognostic model could divide LIHC patients into low- and high-risk groups using median risk score as cut-off. A prognostic nomogram, derived from the prognostic model and integrating clinical characteristics of patients, was constructed. The prognostic function of the model was also validated using GEO, ICGC cohorts, and online databases Kaplan-Meier Plotter. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of GSDME, as well as lentivirus-mediated GSDME knockdown, were performed to validate that knockdown of GSDME markedly suppressed growth of HCC cells both in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, our study demonstrated a PRGs prognostic signature that had great clinical value in prognosis assessment.
我们使用细胞焦亡相关基因构建了一个用于预测肝细胞肝癌(LIHC)患者预后的风险评分模型。共鉴定了 52 个与细胞焦亡相关的基因。然后,从 TCGA 数据库中获取了 374 名 LIHC 患者和 50 名正常个体的数据。通过基因表达分析,确定了差异表达基因(DEGs)。通过单因素 Cox 回归分析确定了 13 个作为潜在预后因素的细胞焦亡相关基因(PRGs),并将这些基因纳入 Lasso 和多因素 Cox 回归分析,构建了一个包含 4 个独立预后因素(BAK1、GSDME、NLRP6 和 NOD2)的 PRGs 预后特征。通过 qRT-PCR 评估 mRNA 水平,通过 Kaplan-Meier 法评估总生存率(OS)。从肿瘤免疫学角度进行了富集分析,以确定与 LIHC 患者不同生存状态相关的机制。此外,通过中位数风险评分作为截断值,由预后模型确定的风险评分可以将 LIHC 患者分为低风险和高风险组。从预后模型和患者临床特征构建了一个预后列线图。还使用 GEO、ICGC 队列和在线数据库 Kaplan-Meier Plotter 验证了模型的预后功能。通过小干扰 RNA 介导的 GSDME 敲低以及慢病毒介导的 GSDME 敲低实验,验证了敲低 GSDME 显著抑制 HCC 细胞在体内和体外的生长。综上所述,我们的研究表明,细胞焦亡相关基因预后特征具有很大的临床评估预后价值。