Roles of RNA mC modification patterns in prognosis and tumor microenvironment infiltration of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Genetic and epigenetic aberrations display an essential role in the initiation and progression of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 5-methylcytosine (mC), a common RNA modification, regulates various cellular processes and contributes to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, mC alterations in DLBCL remain unclear. Our research constructed an mC prognostic model utilizing GEO data sets, which can efficiently predict the prognosis of patients with DLBCL, and verified the mC prognostic model genes by immunohistochemistry analysis. This model was constructed using unsupervised consensus clustering analyses, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Based on the expression of mC genes in the model, patients with DLBCL could be effectively divided into groups with significant survival time differences. The mC risk-score signature demonstrated a highly significant independent prognostic value. Results from tumor microenvironment analyses revealed that mC genes altered the infiltration of eosinophils, Tregs, and M2 macrophages. Additionally, they regulated T cell activation by modulating the expression of CTLA4, PDL1, B2M, CD8A, ICOS, and other relevant immune checkpoint expressions. In conclusion, our study presents a robust mC prognostic model that effectively predicts prognosis in DLBCL. This model may offer a new approach for prognostic stratification and potential therapeutic interventions for patients with DLBCL.