Characterization of a 4 lncRNAs-based prognostic risk scoring system in adults with acute myeloid leukemia

The study aims to develop a prognostic scoring system based on prognostic lncRNAs for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Based on lncRNA expression profiles downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs (DELs) between good prognosis and bad prognosis samples were screened, from which prognosis-related lncRNAs were selected using uni-variate and multi-variate Cox regression analysis. Based on the expression profiles of these signature prognosis-related lncRNAs, a risk scoring system was developed and applied to a training set and validated on a testing set. With sample-matched mRNAs of the signature lncRNAs, lncRNA-mRNA networks were built, followed by function analysis for the mRNAs in these networks.

Total 66 DELs were identified between good prognosis and bad prognosis samples. Among these DELs, LINC01003, CTD-2234N14, RP1-137K24, and RP11-834C111 were found to be independent predictors of prognosis. A risk scoring system based on the expressions of the 4 signature lncRNAs was developed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis found that the risk score system could classify patients into high-risk and low-risk groups with significantly different survival outcomes. Function analysis showed that the mRNAs in these lncRNA-mRNA networks were significantly linked to mTOR signaling pathway, apoptosis, Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway, B cell receptor signaling pathway, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, and T cell receptor signaling pathway.

This study suggested a promising 4 prognostic lncRNAs-based risk scoring system in AML. These 4 lncRNAs may play roles in regulating prognosis partly via mTOR signaling pathway, apoptosis, and some immune-related pathways.