Identification and Validation of 17-lncRNA Related to Regulatory T Cell Heterogeneity as a Prognostic Signature for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Abstract

Successful eradication of tumors by the immune system depends on generation of antigen-specific T cells that migrate to tumor sites and kill cancerous cells. However, presence of suppressive Treg populations inside tumor microenvironment hinders effector T cell function and decreases antitumor immunity. In this study we independently evaluated and confirmed prognostic signature of 17-Treg-related-lncRNA. Immune cell infiltration analysis using 17-lncRNA signature as a probe, accurately described Treg populations in tumor immune microenvironment. 17-lncRNA signature model predicted prognosis with excellent accuracy in all three cohorts: training cohort (AUC=0.82), testing cohort (AUC=0.61) and total cohort (AUC=0.72). The Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed that the overall survival of patients in the low-risk group was significantly better than those in the high-risk group(P<0.001). CIBERSORT analysis confirmed that low risk group had higher infiltration of tumor killer CD8 T cells, memory activated CD4 T cells, follicular helper T cells and T cells regulatory (Tregs), and lower expression of M0 macrophages and Mast cells activated. These results indicate that the 17-lncRNA signature is a novel prognostic and support the use of lncRNA as a stratification tool to help guide the course of treatment and clinical decision making in patients at high risk of HNSCC.

• Authors: Qi Sun, Yumei Li, Xin Yang, Xinxin Wu, Zhen Liu, Yakui Mou, Xicheng Song
• Journal: Frontiers in immunology (Front Immunol) Vol. 12 Pg. 782216 ( 2021) ISSN: 1664-3224 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 34880875 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Sun, Li, Yang, Wu, Liu, Mou and Song.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• RNA, Long Noncoding

Topics

• Biomarkers, Tumor
• Computational Biology (methods)
• Databases, Genetic
• Female
• Gene Expression Profiling
• Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
• Humans
• Immunomodulation (genetics)
• Male
• Molecular Sequence Annotation
• Neoplasm Grading
• Neoplasm Staging
• Prognosis
• Proportional Hazards Models
• RNA, Long Noncoding (genetics)
• ROC Curve
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (diagnosis, genetics, mortality, therapy)
• T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory (immunology, metabolism)
• Transcriptome
• Tumor Microenvironment (genetics, immunology)