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The m6A and immune regulatory gene signature predicts the prognosis and correlates with immune infiltration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Recent investigations have underscored the epigenetic modulation of the immune response; however, the interplay between RNA N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) modification and immunomodulation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remains relatively unexplored. To bridge this knowledge gap, we undertook an extensive examination of the potential contributions of m 6 A modification and immunomodulation in HNSC. We amalgamated and deduplicated 27 m 6 A -related genes (m6AGs) and 1342 immune regulation-related genes (IMRGs), resulting in a comprehensive dataset encompassing 1358 genes. This dataset was scrutinized for m 6 A modification and immunomodulatory patterns within HNSC specimens. Employing Cox regression analysis and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) technique, we developed a prognostic risk model for m 6 A regulator-mediated methylation modification and immunomodulation-related differentially expressed genes (m6A&IMRDEGs). Our differential expression analysis delineated 29 m6A&IMRDEGs, and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) elucidated two module genes (IL11 and MMP13) subjected to correlation analysis. The prognostic prediction models revealed that the clinical predictive efficacy peaked for 1-year forecasts, followed sequentially by 3-year and 5-year predictions. The risk scores derived from the model adeptly categorized HNSC patients into high- and low-risk cohorts, with the high-risk group exhibiting a more unfavorable prognosis. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis identified 7 hub genes implicated in m 6 A and immune regulation, namely BPIFB1, BPIFB2, GP2, MUC5B, MUC7, PIP, and SCGB3A1. Furthermore, we noted marked disparities in the expression profiles of 18 immune cell types between the high- and low-risk groups. Our results substantiate that the clustering subpopulations and risk models associated with m 6 A and immune regulatory genes portend a poor prognosis in HNSC. The risk score emerges as a potent prognostic biomarker and predictive metric for HNSC patients. A thorough assessment of m 6 A and immune regulatory genes in HNSC will augment our comprehension of the tumor immune microenvironment and facilitate the advancement of HNSC therapeutics.
Source: Heliyon
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39758
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,100
OpenAlex ID: W4403714334
FWCI: 0.353
Cites: 57
Cited by: 3
Related to: 10