AUTHOR=Zhao Lei , You Zhixuan , Bai Zhixun , Xie Jian TITLE=Machine learning-based construction of a ferroptosis and necroptosis associated lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in hepatocellular cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1171878 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1171878 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=Introduction

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), one of the most common malignancies worldwide, occurs with high incidence and mortality. Ferroptosis and necroptosis are critically associated with LIHC prognosis. Some long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to induce ferroptosis and necroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Methods

Cox regression analysis was used to construct a risk model for LIHC based on differentially expressed ferroptosis and necroptosis related lncRNAs (F-NLRs), and their expression in SMMC7721, HepG2 and WRL68 cells was detected by qPCR.

Results

Five F-NLRs were associated with LIHC prognosis, including KDM4A-AS1, ZFPM2-AS1, AC099850.3, MKLN1-AS, and BACE1-AS. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients with LIHC in the high-risk group were associated with poor prognosis. The combined F-NLR signature model demonstrated a prognostic AUC value of 0.789 and was more accurate than standard clinical variables for predicting LIHC prognosis. T cell functions and immunotherapy responses differed significantly between patients in the low- and high-risk groups. Additionally, immune checkpoints and m6A-related genes were differentially expressed between patients in the two risk groups. Furthermore, proteins encoded by the five F-NLRs were overexpressed in four liver cancer cell lines compared to that in human liver cell line WRL68. Pan-cancer examination revealed that expression levels of the five F-NLRs differed between most common tumor types and normal tissues.

Conclusion

F-NLRs identified in this study provide a predictive signature representing ferroptosis and necroptosis in LIHC, which correlated well with patient prognosis, clinicopathological characteristics, and immunotherapy responses. The study findings help to elucidate the mechanisms of F-NLRs in LIHC and provide further guidance for the selection and development of immunotherapeutic agents for LIHC.