Cancer Progression Mediated by CAFs Relating to HCC and Identification of Genetic Characteristics Influencing...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies, and although there are several treatment options, the overall results are not satisfactory. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can promote cancer progression through various mechanisms.

HCC-associated mRNA data were sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database. First, the differentially expressed CAF-related genes (CAF-DEGs) were acquired by difference analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Moreover, a CAF-related risk model was built by Cox analysis. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to evaluate the validity of this risk model. Furthermore, enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the high- and low-risk groups was executed to explore the functions relevant to the risk model. Furthermore, this study compared the differences in immune infiltration, immunotherapy, and drug sensitivity between the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, we verified the mRNA expression levels of selected prognostic genes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

107 CAF-DEGs were identified in the HCC samples, and five prognosis-related genes (ACTA2, IGJ, CTHRC1, CXCL12, and LAMB1) were obtained by Cox analysis and utilized to build a CAF-related risk model. K-M analysis illustrated a low survival in the high-risk group, and ROC curves revealed that the risk model could accurately predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) of HCC patients. In addition, Cox analysis demonstrated that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor. Enrichment analysis illustrated that DEGs between the high- and low-risk groups were related to immune response, amino acid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Furthermore, risk scores were correlated with the tumor microenvironment, CAF scores, and TIDE scores, and CAF-related marker genes were positively correlated with all five model genes. Notably, the risk model was relevant to the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs. Finally, the results of qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of 5 model genes were in accordance with the analysis.

A CAF-related risk model based on ACTA2, IGJ, CTHRC1, CXCL12, and LAMB1 was built and could be utilized to predict the prognosis and treatment of HCC.