Song Pan, Ye Jinmao, Zhang Haiyang, Li Yishu, Cao Ruizhi, Feng Yang, Zhang Lei, Sun Min
Department of General Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 Jul 7;16:1572810. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1572810. eCollection 2025.
BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a significant clinical challenge, characterized by its aggressive nature and poor prognosis. Current therapeutic strategies, including targeted therapies, have limitations due to the complex interplay between tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the specific contributions of N6-methyladenosine (mA) methylation to the TME in EC are yet to be fully elucidated. METHODS: Through comprehensive bioinformatics analyses, a detailed examination of mA regulators were conducted in EC using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and a consensus clustering algorithm was employed to classify mA modification patterns and analyze their relationships with immune cell infiltration and clinical outcomes. Additionally, an mA scoring system was developed based on principal component analysis to assess the prognostic value of identified mA modification patterns. RESULTS: The findings revealed two distinct mA modification clusters associated with divergent TME characteristics and immune infiltration profiles. Patients exhibiting the immune-inflamed phenotype (mA cluster B) demonstrated significantly improved survival compared to those with the immune-excluded phenotype (mA cluster A). Notably, mA scores correlated positively with immune cell presence and related with adverse prognostic outcomes, indicating their potential as predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy responses. A low mA score indicated a better response to immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the critical role of mA methylation in shaping the TME and influencing immune dynamics in EC. The mA score developed herein provides a novel quantitative tool for predicting tumor behavior and treatment efficacy, paving the way for more personalized immunotherapeutic strategies in clinical practice. This scoring system illustrates a strong correlation of EC with TME immune cell composition, suggesting potential as a biomarker for targeted therapeutic strategies for EC.
背景:食管癌(EC)仍然是一项重大的临床挑战,其特点是侵袭性强且预后较差。包括靶向治疗在内的当前治疗策略由于肿瘤异质性与肿瘤微环境(TME)之间复杂的相互作用而存在局限性。然而,N6-甲基腺苷(m⁶A)甲基化对EC中TME的具体贡献尚未完全阐明。 方法:通过全面的生物信息学分析,利用来自癌症基因组图谱(TCGA)和基因表达综合数据库(GEO)的数据集,对EC中的m⁶A调节剂进行了详细研究。采用单细胞RNA测序(scRNA-seq)和共识聚类算法对m⁶A修饰模式进行分类,并分析它们与免疫细胞浸润和临床结果的关系。此外,基于主成分分析开发了一种m⁶A评分系统,以评估所确定的m⁶A修饰模式对预后的价值。 结果:研究结果揭示了两个不同的m⁶A修饰簇,它们与不同的TME特征和免疫浸润谱相关。与具有免疫排除表型(m⁶A簇A)的患者相比,表现出免疫炎症表型(m⁶A簇B)的患者生存率显著提高。值得注意的是,m⁶A评分与免疫细胞的存在呈正相关,并与不良预后结果相关,表明它们有可能作为免疫治疗反应的预测生物标志物。低m⁶A评分表明对免疫治疗反应较好。 结论:本研究强调了m⁶A甲基化在塑造EC中的TME和影响免疫动力学方面的关键作用。本文开发的m⁶A评分提供了一种预测肿瘤行为和治疗效果的新型定量工具,为临床实践中更个性化的免疫治疗策略铺平了道路。该评分系统表明EC与TME免疫细胞组成密切相关,提示其有可能作为EC靶向治疗策略的生物标志物。
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