Cancer-associated fibroblasts-derived lncRNA signature as a putative biomarker in breast cancer

Abstract

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a key role in regulating tumor microenvironment and immunity. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in many tumors. However, the functional and clinical significance of lncRNAs specifically expressed in CAFs has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified a list of 95 CAF-specific lncRNAs (FibLnc), including HHLA3, TP53TG1, ST7-AS1, LINC00536, ZNF503-AS1, MIR22HG, and MAPT-AS1, based on immune cell transcriptome expression profiling data. Based on the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, we found that the FibLnc score predicted differences in overall patient survival and performed well in multiple datasets. FibLnc score was associated with the clinical stage of patients with breast cancer but did not significantly correlate with the PAM50 classification. Functional analysis showed that FibLnc was positively correlated with signaling pathways associated with malignant tumor progression. In addition, FibLnc was positively correlated with tumor mutational load and could predict immunotherapy response in patients with breast cancer receiving anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA4 therapy. Our proposed FibLnc score was able to reflect the status of the immune environment and immunotherapeutic response in breast cancer, which could help explore potential therapeutic decisions and regulatory mechanisms of CAF-specific lncRNAs.

Disulfideptosis-associated lncRNAs reveal features of prognostic, immune escape, tumor mutation, and tumor malignant progression in renal clear cell carcinoma

“…For ZNF503-AS1, high levels of ZNF503-AS1 in plasma are associated with a high prevalence of diabetic retinopathy [20]. Moreover, ZNF503-AS1 can also serve as a potential biomarker for breast cancer and colorectal cancer [21,22]. In previous studies, SPINT1-AS1 has been confirmed as a potential biomarker for renal clear cell carcinoma [23], Furthermore, it has also been identified as an independent prognostic indicator in pituitary adenoma, colorectal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma [24][25][26][27].…”

Long Non-Coding RNAs as Regulators for Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Immune Microenvironment: Biological Properties and Therapeutic Potential

“…They found that the high FibLnc score correlated with worse overall survival (OS) in breast cancer patients. Moreover, the FibLnc score was positively associated with immune cell dysregulation score and stronger immune response to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 therapy [65].…”