Integrative analyses of DNA methylase expression and related immune landscape in Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Objectives DNA methylation is a common in epigenetics process which plays important roles in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Methods and Results In this study, we systematically analyzed expression level of DNA methylase in prostate cancer and their correlation with immune infiltration and patient outcomes. We enrolled the transcription data of 52 normal and 502 prostate cancer tissues for the study. First, we systematically analyzed data pertaining to patient clinical information and mRNA gene expression data. We found that 5 out of 8 key regulators of DNA methylase significantly increased in PCa. Subsequently, we identified two subgroups (clusters 1 and 2) via consensus clustering based on the expression of 8 DNA methylase. Cluster 2 had worse prognosis, higher histological grade and pathological stage compared with cluster 1. Moreover, cluster 2 was remarkably enriched for cancer-related pathways. We further constructed a robust risk signature based on the expression of DNA methylase. Further analysis indicated that this risk signature could be an independent prognostic factor for PCa. Moreover, the efficacy of this three-gene risk signature was validated in external dataset. We also show that the model is highly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Conclusions In summary, we in this study uncovered the vital roles of DNA methylase in PCa and developed a risk signature as a promising prognostic marker in PCa patients. At the same time, it provides a reliable basis for the choice of treatment.