EMT-related gene classifications predict the prognosis, immune infiltration, and therapeutic response of osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma (OS), a bone tumor with high ability of invasion and metastasis, has seriously affected the health of children and adolescents. Many studies have suggested a connection between OS and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We aimed to integrate EMT-Related genes (EMT-RGs) to predict the prognosis, immune infiltration, and therapeutic response of patients with OS.

METHODS

We used consensus clustering to identify potential EMT-Related OS molecular subtypes. Somatic mutation, tumor immune microenvironment, and functional enrichment analyses were performed for each subtype. We next constructed an EMT-Related risk signature and evaluated it by Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis survival and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Moreover, we constructed a nomogram to more accurately predict OS patients' clinical outcomes. Response effects of immunotherapy in OS patients was analyzed by Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) analysis, while sensitivity for chemotherapeutic agents was analyzed using oncoPredict. Finally, the expression patterns of hub genes were investigated by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 53 EMT-RDGs related to prognosis were identified, separating OS samples into two separate subgroups. The EMT-high subgroup showed favourable overall survival and more active immune response. Significant correlations were found between EMT-Related DEGs and functions as well as pathways linked to the development of OS. Additionally, a risk signature was established and OS patients were divided into two categories based on the risk scores. The signature presented a good predictive performance and could be recognized as an independent predictive factor for OS. Furthermore, patients with higher risk scores exhibited better sensitivity for five drugs, while no significant difference existed in immunotherapy response between the two risk subgroups. scRNA-seq data analysis displayed different expression patterns of the hub genes.

CONCLUSION

We developed a novel EMT-Related risk signature that can be considered as an independent predictor for OS, which may help improve clinical outcome prediction and guide personalized treatments for patients with OS.