Cuprotosis-related signature predicts overall survival in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background: Cuprotosis is a new form of programmed cell death induced by copper. We explored the correlation of cuprotosis with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and constructed a cuprotosis-related signature to predict the prognosis of patients with ccRCC. Methods: The clinical and transcriptomic data of ccRCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), cBioPortal, and GEO databases, and cuprotosis-related gene sets were contained in the previous study. A cuprotosis-related signature was developed based on data from TCGA and verified by data from cBioPortal and GEO databases. The immune cell infiltrates and the corresponding signature risk scores were investigated. Two independent cohorts of clinical trials were analyzed to explore the correlation of the signature risk score with immune therapy response. Results: A signature containing six cuprotosis-related genes was identified and can accurately predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Patients with downregulated copper-induced programmed death had a worse overall survival (hazard ratio: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.39-2.59, p < 0.001). The higher signature risk score was significantly associated with male gender (p = 0.026), higher tumor stage (p < 0.001), and higher histological grade (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the signature risk score was positively correlated with the infiltration of B cells, CD8⁺ T cells, NK cells, Tregs, and T cells, whereas it was negatively correlated with eosinophils, mast cells, and neutrophils. However, no correlation between cuprotosis and response to anti-PD-1 therapy was found. Conclusion: We established a cuprotosis signature, which can predict the prognosis of patients with ccRCC. Cuprotosis was significantly correlated with immune cell infiltrates in ccRCC.