Five-Gene Score Model Under Study in Predicting Outcomes in Bladder Cancer
Posted: Thursday, December 16, 2021
Findings presented in the Journal of Immunology Research outlined a five-gene score model that may provide valuable biomarker information to predict and treat patients with bladder cancer. Jianbin Bi, PhD, of The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, and colleagues demonstrated that CD8-positive T cells and M2 macrophages appear to be related to the expression of the selected genes and that expression levels of MHC-I, MHC-II, LCK, and interferon were associated with the expression of the protein-coding gene TNFRSF14 and the risk score for disease.
“Our findings provide a signature that might help determine the optimal treatment for individual patients with bladder cancer,” the authors concluded.
In this study, the authors identified five prognostic genes by univariate, robust, and multivariate Cox regression and developed a prognosis-related model. The Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal and PRISM data sets were utilized to identify drugs with high sensitivity for treatment. Additionally, the role of the TNFRSF14 coding gene was determined by Western blotting, cell proliferation assay, and 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine assay.
The five prognostic genes in patients with bladder cancer were identified as GSDMB, CLEC2D, APOL2, TNFRSF14, and GBP2. The authors found that CD8-positive T cells were highly infiltrated in the group with high expression of TNFRSF14 and infiltrated at a lower rate in the M2 macrophages cohort. The higher expression of TNFRSF14 was found to be linked to higher expression levels of LCK, interferon, MHC-1, and MHC-II, whereas the risk score was the opposite for these genes.
Among the compounds identified, the BCL2 inhibitor obatoclax was considered as a potential treatment option for patients with low expression of TNFRSF14. Additionally, the proliferation of bladder cancer cell lines was higher in the TNFRSF14-reduced group. TNFRSF14 also played a role in the progression of bladder cancer through the Wnt/b-catenin–dependent pathway, and the authors noted that the gene is a potential protective biomarker in the cell proliferation of the disease.
Disclosure: The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
