Open Access

Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer

  • Authors:
    • Zhenqing Sun
    • Wei Xia
    • Yali Lyu
    • Yanan Song
    • Min Wang
    • Ruirui Zhang
    • Guode Sui
    • Zhenlu Li
    • Li Song
    • Changliang Wu
    • Choong-Chin Liew
    • Lei Yu
    • Guang Cheng
    • Changming Cheng
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: May 20, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2021.12804
  • Article Number: 543
  • Copyright: © Sun et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The immune system is crucial in regulating colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis. Identification of immune‑related transcriptomic signatures derived from the peripheral blood of patients with CRC would provide insights into CRC pathogenesis, and suggest novel clues to potential immunotherapy strategies for the disease. The present study collected blood samples from 59 patients with CRC and 62 healthy control patients and performed whole blood gene expression profiling using microarray hybridization. Immune‑related gene expression signatures for CRC were identified from immune gene datasets, and an algorithmic predictive model was constructed for distinguishing CRC from controls. Model performance was characterized using an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC). Functional categories for CRC‑specific gene expression signatures were determined using gene set enrichment analyses. A Kaplan‑Meier plotter survival analysis was also performed for CRC‑specific immune genes in order to characterize the association between gene expression and CRC prognosis. The present study identified five CRC‑specific immune genes [protein phosphatase 3 regulatory subunit Bα (PPP3R1), amyloid β precursor protein, cathepsin H, proteasome activator subunit 4 and DEAD‑Box Helicase 3 X‑Linked]. A predictive model based on this five‑gene panel showed good discriminatory power (independent test set sensitivity, 83.3%; specificity, 94.7%, accuracy, 89.2%; ROC AUC, 0.96). The candidate genes were involved in pathways associated with ‘adaptive immune responses’, ‘innate immune responses’ and ‘cytokine signaling’. The survival analysis found that a high level of PPP3R1 expression was associated with a poor CRC prognosis. The present study identified five CRC‑specific immune genes that were potential diagnostic biomarkers for CRC. The biological function analysis indicated a close association between CRC pathogenesis and the immune system, and may reveal more information about the immunogenic and pathogenic mechanisms driving CRC in the future. Overall, the association between PPP3R1 expression and survival of patients with CRC revealed potential new targets for CRC immunotherapy.
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July-2021
Volume 22 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
Online ISSN:1792-1082

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Sun Z, Xia W, Lyu Y, Song Y, Wang M, Zhang R, Sui G, Li Z, Song L, Wu C, Wu C, et al: Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer. Oncol Lett 22: 543, 2021
APA
Sun, Z., Xia, W., Lyu, Y., Song, Y., Wang, M., Zhang, R. ... Cheng, C. (2021). Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer. Oncology Letters, 22, 543. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2021.12804
MLA
Sun, Z., Xia, W., Lyu, Y., Song, Y., Wang, M., Zhang, R., Sui, G., Li, Z., Song, L., Wu, C., Liew, C., Yu, L., Cheng, G., Cheng, C."Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer". Oncology Letters 22.1 (2021): 543.
Chicago
Sun, Z., Xia, W., Lyu, Y., Song, Y., Wang, M., Zhang, R., Sui, G., Li, Z., Song, L., Wu, C., Liew, C., Yu, L., Cheng, G., Cheng, C."Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer". Oncology Letters 22, no. 1 (2021): 543. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2021.12804