scholarly journals Developing ZNF Gene Signatures Predicting Radiosensitivity of Patients with Breast Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Derui Yan ◽  
Mingjing Shen ◽  
Zixuan Du ◽  
Jianping Cao ◽  
Ye Tian ◽  
...  

Adjuvant radiotherapy is one of the main treatment methods for breast cancer, but its clinical benefit depends largely on the characteristics of the patient. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the expression of zinc finger (ZNF) gene family proteins and the radiosensitivity of breast cancer patients. Clinical and gene expression data on a total of 976 breast cancer samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. ZNF gene expression was dichotomized into groups with a higher or lower level than the median level of expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between ZNF gene expression levels and radiosensitivity. The Molecular Taxonomy Data of the International Federation of Breast Cancer (METABRIC) database was used for validation. The results revealed that 4 ZNF genes were possible radiosensitivity markers. High expression of ZNF644 and low expression levels of the other 3 genes (ZNF341, ZNF541, and ZNF653) were related to the radiosensitivity of breast cancer. Hierarchical cluster, Cox, and CoxBoost analysis based on these 4 ZNF genes indicated that patients with a favorable 4-gene signature had better overall survival on radiotherapy. Thus, this 4-gene signature may have value for selecting those patients most likely to benefit from radiotherapy. ZNF gene clusters could act as radiosensitivity signatures for breast cancer patients and may be involved in determining the radiosensitivity of cancer.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Wang ◽  
Chen Li ◽  
Tong Chen ◽  
Hanwen Zhang ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Recent years, attributed to early detection and new therapies, the mortality rates of breast cancer (BC) decreased. Nevertheless, the global prevalence was still high and the underlying molecular mechanisms were remained largely unknown. The investigation of prognosis-related genes as the novel biomarkers for diagnosis and individual treatment had become an urgent demand for clinical practice. Methods Gene expression profiles and clinical information of breast cancer patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and randomly divided into training (n = 514) and internal validation (n = 562) cohort by using a random number table. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were estimated by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. In the training set, the gene signature was constructed by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method based on DEGs screened by R packages. The results were further tested in the internal validation cohort and the entire cohort. Moreover, functions of five genes were explored by MTT, Colony-Formation, scratch and transwell assays. Western blot analysis was used to explore the mechanisms. Results In the training cohort, a total of 2805 protein coding DEGs were acquired through comparing breast cancer tissues (n = 514) with normal tissues (n = 113). A risk score formula involving five novel prognostic associated biomarkers (EDN2, CLEC3B, SV2C, WT1 and MUC2) were then constructed by LASSO. The prognostic value of the risk model was further confirmed in the internal validation set and the entire set. To explore the biological functions of the selected genes, in vitro assays were performed, indicating that these novel biomarkers could markedly influence breast cancer progression. Conclusion We established a predictive five-gene signature, which could be helpful for prognosis assessment and personalized management in breast cancer patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wang ◽  
Xuebing Zhan ◽  
Qian Luo ◽  
Yunshu Kuang ◽  
Xiao Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common tumors for women worldwide. Thrombospondins (THBSs) are reported to play important roles in various cellular processes and are involved in the occurrence and development of human cancers. However, the expression and prognostic value of THBSs family in breast cancer remain unclear.Methods: In this study, we examined the genes and protein expression levels of THBSs and their prognostic value by synthesizing several mainstream databases, including Oncomine, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), UALCAN, and KM Plotter. We also analyzed THBS interaction networks, genetic alterations, functional enrichment, and drug sensitivity with several publicly accessible databases, including GEPIA, GeneMANIA, STRING, cBioPortal, Metascape and NCI-60 database.Results: The results showed that the mRNA expression levels of THBS1, THBS2, THBS3, and THBS5 in breast cancer tissues were significantly higher than in normal tissues. The mRNA expression levels of THBS4 were different in different subtypes of breast cancer, and the protein expression levels of THBS1, THBS2, and THBS4 in breast cancer tissues were higher than in normal breast tissues. Survival analysis showed that breast cancer patients with high THBS1 gene expression showed worse overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), and post-progression survival (PPS), and breast cancer patients with high THBS2 gene expression also showed worse RFS. Conversely, lower THBS3 levels predicted worse RFS, and lower THBS4 levels predicted worse OS, RFS, and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Conclusions: These results suggest that THBSs may be potential biomarkers for breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenhua Zhong ◽  
Wenqiang Jiang ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Zhanwen Li ◽  
Fengfeng Fan

Abstract Background: Despite increased early diagnosis and improved treatment in breast cancer (BRCA) patients, prognosis prediction is still a challenging task due to the disease heterogeneity. This study was to identify a novel gene signature that can accurately evaluate BRCA patient survival. Methods: The gene expression and clinical data of BRCA patients were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Molecular Taxonomy of BRCA International Consortium (METABRIC) databases. Genes associated with prognosis were determined by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis. A prognostic 16-gene score was established with linear combination of 16 genes. The prognostic value of the signature was validated in the METABRIC dataset. Gene expression analysis was performed to investigate the diagnostic values of 16 genes. Results: The 16-gene score was associated with shortened overall survival in BRCA patients independently of clinicopathological characteristics. The signalling pathways of cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, RNA degradation, progesterone mediated oocyte maturation and DNA replication were the top five most enriched pathways in the high 16-gene score group. The 16-gene nomogram incorporating the survival‐related clinical factors showed improved prediction accuracies for 1-year, 3-year and 5‐year survival (area under curve [AUC] = 0.91, 0.79 and 0.77 respectively). MORN3, IGJ, DERL1 exhibited high accuracy in differentiating BRCA tissues from normal breast tissues (AUC > 0.80 for all cases). Conclusions: The 16-gene profile provides novel insights into the identification of BRCA with a high risk of death, which eventually guides treatment decision making.


2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Andres ◽  
Katie E. Bickett ◽  
Mohammad A. Alatoum ◽  
Theodore S. Kalbfleisch ◽  
Guy N. Brock ◽  
...  

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ding Wang ◽  
Guodong Wei ◽  
Ju Ma ◽  
Shuai Cheng ◽  
Longyuan Jia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BRCA) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, which is a threat to women’s health worldwide. Ferroptosis is closely related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer. Here, we aimed to establish a ferroptosis-related prognostic gene signature for predicting patients’ survival. Methods Gene expression profile and corresponding clinical information of patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-penalized Cox regression analysis model was utilized to construct a multigene signature. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to validate the predictive effect of the prognostic signature. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes, Genomes (KEGG) pathway and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) were performed for patients between the high-risk and low-risk groups divided by the median value of risk score. Results We constructed a prognostic signature consisted of nine ferroptosis-related genes (ALOX15, CISD1, CS, GCLC, GPX4, SLC7A11, EMC2, G6PD and ACSF2). The Kaplan-Meier curves validated the fine predictive accuracy of the prognostic signature (p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curves manifested that the ferroptosis-related signature had moderate predictive power. GO and KEGG functional analysis revealed that immune-related responses were largely enriched, and immune cells, including activated dendritic cells (aDCs), dendritic cells (DCs), T-helper 1 (Th1), were higher in high-risk groups (p < 0.001). Oppositely, type I IFN response and type II IFN response were lower in high-risk groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion Our study indicated that the ferroptosis-related prognostic signature gene could serve as a novel biomarker for predicting breast cancer patients’ prognosis. Furthermore, we found that immunotherapy might play a vital role in therapeutic schedule based on the level and difference of immune-related cells and pathways in different risk groups for breast cancer patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanbao Zhou ◽  
Genjie Lu ◽  
Liang Yang ◽  
Yangfang Lu

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer with relatively poor prognosis. Thus, we aimed to identify novel molecular biomarkers to effectively predict the prognosis of HCC patients and eventually guide treatment. Methods: Prognosis-associated genes were determined by Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses using the expression and clinical data of 373 HCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and validated in an independent Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. The classification of AML was performed by unsupervised hierarchical clustering of ten gene expression levels. A prognostic risk score was established based on a linear combination of ten gene expression levels using the regression coefficients derived from the multivariate Cox regression models. Results: A total of 183 genes were significantly associated with prognosis in HCC. SLC25A15, RAB8A, GOT2, SORBS2, IL18RAP were top five protective genes, while FHL3, AMD1, DCAF13, UBE2E1, PTDSS2 were top five risk genes in HCC. SLC25A15, GOT2, IL18RAP were significantly down-regulated and DCAF13, PTDSS2 and SORBS2 were significantly up-regulated in the HCC samples and these genes exhibited high accuracy in differentiating HCC tissues from normal liver tissues. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the ten genes discovered three clusters of HCC patients. HCC tumors of cluster1 and 2 were significantly associated with more favourable OS than those of cluster3, cluster2 tumors showed higher pathologic stage than cluster3 tumors. The risk score was predictive of increased mortality rate in HCC patients. Conclusions: The ten-gene signature and the risk score may turn out to be novel molecular biomarkers and stratification of HCC patients to considerably ameliorate the prognostic prediction.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianing Tang ◽  
Gaosong Wu

Abstract Background Metabolic change is the hallmark of cancer. Even in the presence of oxygen, cancer cells reprogram their glucose metabolism to enhance glycolysis and reduce oxidative phosphorylation. In the present study, we aimed to develop a glycolysis-related gene signature to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients.Methods Gene expression profiles and clinical data of breast cancer patients were obtained from the GEO database. Univariate, Lasso-penalized, and multivariate Cox analysis were performed to construct the glycolysis-related gene signature.Results A four-gene based signature (ALDH2, PRKACB, STMN1 and ZNF292) was developed to separate patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that patients in low-risk group had significantly better prognosis than those in the high-risk group. Time-dependent ROC analysis demonstrated that the glycolysis-related gene signature had excellent prognostic accuracy. We further confirmed the expression of the four prognostic genes in breast cancer and paracancerous tissues samples using qRT-PCR analysis. Expression level of PRKACB was higher in paracancerous tissues, while STMN1 and ZNF292 were overexpressed in tumor samples. No difference was found in ALDH2 expression. The same results were observed in the IHC data from the human protein atlas. Global proteome data of 105 TCGA breast cancer samples obtained from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium were used to evaluate the prognostic value of their protein levels. Consistently, high expression of PRKACB protein level was associated with better prognosis, while high ZNF292 and STMN1 protein expression levels indicated poor prognosis.Conclusions The glycolysis-related gene signature might provide an effective prognostic predictor and a new view for individual treatment of breast cancer patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yiqun Han ◽  
Jiayu Wang ◽  
Binghe Xu

Objective. To better understand the immune-related heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment (TME) and establish a prognostic model for breast cancer in clinical practice. Methods. For the 2620 breast cancer cases obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium, the CIBERSORT algorithm was performed to identify the immunological pattern, which underwent consensus clustering to curate TME subtypes, and biological profiles were explored by enrichment analysis. Random forest analysis, least absolute shrinkage, and selection operator analysis, in addition to uni- and multivariate COX regression analyses, were successively employed to precisely select the significant genes with prediction values for the introduction of the prognostic model. Results. Three TME subtypes with distinct molecular and clinical features were identified by an unsupervised clustering approach, of which the molecular heterogeneity could be the result of cell cycle dysfunction and the variation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. A total of 15 significant genes were proposed to construct the prognostic immune-related score system, and a predictive model was established in combination with clinicopathological characteristics for the survival of breast cancer patients. For immunological signatures, proactivity of CD8 T lymphocytes and hyperangiogenesis could be attributed to heterogeneous survival profiles. Conclusions. We developed and validated a prognostic model based on immune-related signatures for breast cancer. This promising model is justified for validation and optimized in future clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Yan ◽  
Qingling Liu ◽  
Mingkun Nie ◽  
Wei Hu ◽  
Ruoling Jia

Abstract Background: Breast cancer remains one of most lethal illnesses for female and the most common malignancies among women, making it important to discover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Immunotherapy has become a promising therapeutic tool for breast cancer. The role of TRIM8 in breast cancer has rarely been reported. Method: Here we identified TRIM8 expression and its potential functions on survival in patients with breast cancer using TCGA (The cancer genome atlas), GEO (Gene expression omnibus) database and METABRIC (Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium). Then, TIMER and TISIDB databases were used to investigate the correlations between TRIM8 mRNA levels and immune characteristics. Using stepwise cox regression, we established an immune prognostic signature based on five differentially expression immune-related genes (DE-IRGs). Finally, a nomogram, accompanied by a calibration curve was proposed to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival for breast cancer patients. Results: We found that TRIM8 expression was dramatically lower in breast cancer tissues in comparison with normal tissues. Lower TRIM8 expression was related with worse prognosis in breast cancer. TIMER and TISIDB analysis showed that there were strong correlations between TRIM8 expression and immune characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve confirmed the good performance in survival prediction, showing good accuracy of the immune prognostic signature. We demonstrated the model usefulness of predictions by nomogram and calibration curves. Our findings indicated that TRIM8 might be a potential link between progression and prognosis survival of breast cancer.Conclusion: This is a comprehensive study to reveal that TRIM8 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker associating with immune characteristics and provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-180
Author(s):  
Na Li ◽  
Zubin Li ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Bingjie Chen ◽  
Huibo Sun ◽  
...  

Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify an immune-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) signature that predicts the prognosis of breast cancer. Materials & methods: The expression profiles of breast cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Cox regression analysis was used to identify an immune-related lncRNA signature. Results: The five immune-related lncRNAs could be used to construct a breast cancer survival prognosis model. The receiver operating characteristic curve evaluation found that the accuracy of the model for predicting the 1-, 3- and 5-year prognosis of breast cancer was 0.688, 0.708 and 0.686. Conclusion: This signature may have an important clinical significance for improving predictive results and guiding the treatment of breast cancer patients.


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