Identification and Prognostic Analysis of Immune-Related Genes Co-Regulated by Key Histone Modifications in Breast...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Epigenetics
• Genomics

Background:

• Breast cancer (BRCA) is a prevalent malignancy significantly impacting women's health.
• Histone modifications (HMs) are implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of BRCA.
• Understanding HM patterns in normal (HMEC) and cancerous (MCF-7) cells is crucial for identifying therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the distribution of HMs in HMEC and MCF-7 cell lines.
• To analyze the association between HMs, gene expression, and BRCA patient outcomes.
• To develop a predictive model for BRCA prognosis and treatment efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of HM signal distribution in HMEC and MCF-7 cell lines.
• Application of algorithms to predict HM effects on gene expression.
• Screening of 268 HM-related immune-related genes (H_IRGs) and pathway analysis.
• Construction of a risk scoring model using Cox and LASSO regression.

Main Results:

• The random forest algorithm identified H3K4me2, H3K27me3, and H3K36me3 as key HMs influencing gene expression (AUC=0.92).
• A risk model was built using 11 key immune-related genes (IRGs).
• The model demonstrated effective prediction of patient survival in training and validation cohorts.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a theoretical framework for BRCA development.
• The identified 11 key IRGs show potential as biomarkers for BRCA prognostic assessment.
• These genes may also aid in predicting treatment response in breast cancer patients.