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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1469435
This article is part of the Research Topic RNA Modifications in Cancer: Unraveling Roles and Therapeutic Potential in Immunity and Immunotherapy View all 3 articles

Tumor-related IGF2BP1-derived molecular subtypes to predict prognosis and immune microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma Authors

Provisionally accepted
Qin Ding Qin Ding 1Mingzhu Liu Mingzhu Liu 1Yuhui Pan Yuhui Pan 1Ziyi Wu Ziyi Wu 1Wang Jing Wang Jing 1Yi Li Yi Li 1Xiaoyong Liu Xiaoyong Liu 1Jinghua Lai Jinghua Lai 1Dan Hu Dan Hu 2Sufang Qiu Sufang Qiu 1*
  • 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 Department of pathology, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital (Fujian Branch of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center), Fuzhou 350014, China, Fuzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Recent studies have underscored the biological significance of RNA modifications in tumorigenicity and progression. However, the potential roles of RNA modifications in immune regulation and the formation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSC) remain unclear.We collected 199 untreated HNSC samples and clinicopathological data from Fujian Provincial Cancer Hospital. MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq were performed to generate methylation and gene expression profiles, respectively. Consensus molecular subtyping was employed to identify prognosis-related genes and RNA modification patterns in HNSC. Experiments confirmed the potential oncogenic behavior influenced by key genes. Molecular subtypes were identified through consensus clustering and validated using external cohort validation sets.Results: Among the RNA modification-related genes, IGF2BP1 emerged as the most prognostic. HNSC patients were categorized into high and low IGF2BP1 expression groups. High-expressing patients exhibited poorer survival and reduced chemosensitivity, coupled with increased tumor mutational burden, low PD-L1 expression, and limited immune cell infiltration, indicative of aggressive disease. Analysis revealed two distinct RNA modification patterns associated with IGF2BP1 expression: biosynthetically intense type (BIT) and oncogenically active type (OAT), each characterized by distinct clinical features, outcomes, and biological pathways. In an independent immunotherapy cohort, BIT patients displayed enhanced immune responses and sustained clinical benefits.Conclusions: This study highlights the crucial link between RNA modification and TME diversity.Evaluating RNA modification in tumors improves our understanding of TME features and supports the development of effective immunotherapy strategies.

    Keywords: Tumor Microenvironment, IGF2BP1, Molecular subtypes, Head and neck squamous carcinoma, RNA modification

    Received: 23 Jul 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ding, Liu, Pan, Wu, Jing, Li, Liu, Lai, Hu and Qiu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sufang Qiu, Department of Radiation Oncology, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China, Fuzhou, China

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