Construction and Validation of a Novel T/NK-Cell Prognostic Signature for Pancreatic Cancer Based on Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Background Evidence with regards to the distinction between primary and metastatic tumors in pancreatic cancer and driving factors for metastases remains limited.Methods A single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset on metastatic pancreatic cancer, GSE197177, was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Bioinformatics analysis on relevant sequencing data was used to construct a risk model to predict patient prognosis. Furthermore, immune infiltration and metabolic differences were assessed. The biological function of key differential genes was evaluated.Results The scRNA-seq dataset included three primary untreated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors, four hepatic metastases, and one adjacent normal tissue. Subsequently, the T/NK cell subgroup was the most different cell type between cancerous tissues and control group (normal tissue), which also increased in both proportion and number from primary to metastatic lesions, and was selected for further analysis. Eventually, 4 specifically expressed genes of T/NK cells (DGKZ, KIF20B, RARRES3, RHOF) were used constructing the prognostic model. The stability of this model was validated by an external cohort. Meanwhile, different immune infiltration abundances occurred between high and low risk groups stratified by the model. The low-risk group had a stronger metabolic capability.Conclusions A novel prognostic T/NK-cell signature for pancreatic cancer was constructed based on scRNA-seq data and externally validated. The involved key genes may play a role in multiple metabolic pathways of metastasis and affect the tumor immune microenvironment.
Source: Cancer Investigation
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G5371131645, G6389825271
OpenAlex ID: W4404221970