BMC Medical Genomics (Jul 2022)

Prognostic signature for hepatocellular carcinoma based on 4 pyroptosis-related genes

  • Sainan Duan,
  • Jianying Gao,
  • Weiming Lou,
  • Yize Zhang,
  • Ying Deng,
  • Cong Wang,
  • Haiyue Huang,
  • Hui Xu,
  • Sixuan Guo,
  • Shuhui Lai,
  • Feiyang Xi,
  • Zhangwang Li,
  • Libin Deng,
  • Yuanbin Zhong

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12920-022-01322-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cancer with a poor prognosis. Many recent studies have suggested that pyroptosis is important in tumour progression. However, the role of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in HCC remains unclear. Materials and methods We identified differentially expressed PRGs in tumours versus normal tissues. Through univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses, a prognostic PRG signature was established. The signature effectiveness was evaluated by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (t-ROC) curve and Kaplan–Meier (KM) survival analysis. The signature was validated in the ICGC (LIRI-JP) cohort. In addition, single-sample gene enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) showed the infiltration of major immune cell types and the activity of common immune pathways in different subgroups. Results Twenty-nine pyroptosis-related DEGs from The Cancer Genome Atlas-Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC) dataset were detected, and four genes (CTSV, CXCL8, MKI67 and PRF1) among them were selected to construct a prognostic signature. Then, the patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups. The pyroptosis-related signature was significantly associated with overall survival (OS). In addition, the patients in the high-risk group had lower levels of immune infiltration. Conclusion The prognostic signature for HCC based on 4 pyroptosis-related genes has reliable prognostic and predictive value for HCC patients.

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