International Journal of General Medicine (Jan 2024)

Cuproptosis-Related lncRNAs Modulate the Prognosis of MIBC by Regulating the Expression Pattern of Immunosuppressive Molecules Within the Tumor Microenvironment

  • Duan H,
  • Shen Y,
  • Wang C,
  • Xia W,
  • Zhang S,
  • Yu S,
  • Xu D,
  • Cao Q,
  • Liu H,
  • Shen H

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 161 – 174

Abstract

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Huangqi Duan,* Yu Shen,* Chen Wang, Weimin Xia, Shun Zhang, Shenggen Yu, Ding Xu, Qifeng Cao, Hailong Liu, Haibo Shen Department of Urology, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hailong Liu; Haibo Shen, Department of Urology, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Cuproptosis-related gene and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) modulation of cancer regulation is well-established. This investigation aimed to elucidate the prognostic implications of cuproptosis-associated lncRNAs in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).Methods: Employing the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and IMvigor210 cohorts, bioinformatics and statistical analyses probed the prognostic relevance of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs.Results: Co-expression analysis revealed tight associations between lncRNA expression and cuproptosis-linked genes, with 13 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs found to correlate with MIBC prognosis. Lasso regression identified a six-lncRNA prognostic signature, enabling patient stratification into high- and low-risk categories. Tissue validation substantiated differential expression of FAM13A-AS1, GHRLOS, LINC00456, OPA1-AS1, RAP2C-AS1, and UBE2Q1-AS1 between MIBC tumor and normal tissues. Comparative analyses of tumor microenvironments and immune profiles between risk groups disclosed elevated immunosuppressive molecule expression, including programmed cell death-1 (PD-L1) and T-cell immunoglobulin-3 (TIM-3), in high-risk individuals.Conclusion: These findings suggest that cuproptosis-related lncRNAs may modulate the expression of immunosuppressive molecules, thereby influencing MIBC tumorigenesis and progression. Further exploration is warranted to unveil novel therapeutic targets for MIBC based on the expression patterns of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs and their impact on immune responses in the tumor microenvironment.Keywords: cuproptosis-related lncRNAs, immunosuppressive molecules, MIBC, prognostic, risk scores

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