Identification of Biomarker Genes in the Early Immune State of Bladder Epithelial Cancer

Abstract

Background:This study aims to comprehensively understand the complex immune response imbalance in bladder epithelial cancer through the identification of highly immune-correlated hub genes and the development of a clinical diagnostic model. Methods: The bladder epithelial cancer-related dataset was retrieved from the TCGA database. The Xiantao tool was utilized to obtain immune infiltration data for constructing the WGCNA module. Data processing involved the application of the RAA and SVA algorithms. The MCODE plug-in was utilized for target screening, immune data collection, and unsupervised clustering analysis. Multiple models were constructed to identify hub genes, and gene expression consistency was validated through animal experiments, data analysis with the assistance of Xiantao tools. Results: Our integrated computational biology and experimental approach revealed six key genes closely related to bladder epithelial cancer and immunity: MMP8, MMP15, MMP2, MMP11, CXCL2, CXCL5,MMP15, and IL-7 .These genes facilitated the classification of patients into three subtypes, with the C2 subtype exhibiting significantly distinct levels of immune infiltration, indicating partial activation of the immune system.This finding presents a novel approach for early identification of bladder epithelial cancer.We identified CXCL2, and MMP15 as hub genes using four algorithms and developed a clinical prediction model that incorporates these features.The model demonstrated strong bladder epithelial cancer identification capabilities and exhibited a correlation with immune cell infiltration in bladder epithelial cancer patients.These genes are believed to play crucial roles in early bladder epithelial cancer detection and the regulation of the immune process. Conclusion: Expression levels of CXCL2, and MMP15 serve as crucial indicators for identification of immune suppression in bladder epithelial cancer patients.