Development And Validation of An RNA Binding Protein-Associated Prognostic Model for Colon Adenocarcinoma
Xiajing Yu1,2, Daixin Guo2, Jie Gao3
1Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Immunology and Inflammation, Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Journal of Cancer
|June 19, 2025
Summary
This study identifies four key RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) as prognostic markers for colon cancer (COAD). The developed model accurately predicts patient survival, offering a cost-effective tool for clinical application.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play crucial roles in gene regulation.
- Identifying prognostic RBPs in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is vital for improving patient outcomes.
- Previous research has not fully elucidated the prognostic significance of specific RBPs in COAD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify prognostic RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in colon cancer.
- To analyze the biological functions and pathways associated with these RBPs.
- To develop and validate a predictive model for patient prognosis in COAD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for COAD.
- Performed differential expression analysis, KEGG, and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment.
- Constructed a prognostic model using Cox regression and validated it with external datasets.
Main Results:
- Identified 472 differentially expressed RBPs in COAD (321 up-regulated, 151 down-regulated).
- Four key prognostic RBPs (MSI2, EZH2, NCL, TERT) were identified and used to build a predictive model.
- The model demonstrated good predictive ability for overall survival (OS) in both training and validation sets (AUCs 0.607 and 0.638).
Conclusions:
- A prognostic model based on four RBPs offers a valuable tool for predicting colon cancer patient survival.
- This model reduces sequencing costs and enhances clinical applicability.
- The identified RBPs provide potential therapeutic targets for colon cancer treatment.
