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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
The Use of Reverse Phase Protein Arrays RPPA to Explore Protein Expression Variation within Individual Renal Cell Cancers
Published on: January 22, 2013
Identification of Treg-related prognostic molecular subtypes and individualized characteristics in clear cell renal
Kang Qiang Weng1, Jin Yu Liu2, Hu Li1
1Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519000, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
Background:
In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the role of Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) as prognostic and immunotherapy response predictors is not fully explored.
Methods:
Analyzing renal clear cell carcinoma datasets from TISCH, TCGA, and GEO, we focused on 8 prognostic Treg genes to study patient subtypes in ccRCC. We assessed Treg subtypes in relation to patient prognosis, tumor microenvironment, metabolism. Using Cox regression and principal component analysis, we devised Treg scores for individual patient characterization and explored the molecular role of C1QL1, a critical gene in the Treg model, through in vivo and in vitro studies.
Results:
Eight Treg-associated prognostic genes were identified, classifying ccRCC patients into cluster A and B. Cluster A patients showed poorer prognosis with distinct clinical and molecular profiles, potentially benefiting more from immunotherapy. Low Treg scores correlated with worse outcomes and clinical progression. Low scores also suggested that patients might respond better to immunotherapy and targeted therapies. In ccRCC, C1QL1 knockdown reduced tumor proliferation and invasion via NF-kb-EMT pathways and decreased Treg cell infiltration, enhancing immune efficacy.
Conclusions:
The molecular subtype and Treg score in ccRCC, based on Treg cell marker genes, are crucial in personalizing ccRCC treatment and underscore C1QL1's potential as a tumor biomarker and target for immunotherapy.
