Molecular Characteristics, Prognostic Value, and Immune Characteristics of m6A Regulators Identified in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays crucial roles in a diverse range of physiological and pathological processes, and it is believed that it tremendously promotes neoplasia and progression. However, knowledge of the molecular characteristics of m6A modification, its prognostic value, and the infiltration of immune cell populations in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is still insufficient. Therefore, a pan-cancer genomic analysis was systematically performed here by examining m6A regulators at the molecular level within 33 multiple cancer types, and the correlations between the expression of m6A molecules were researched using datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Based on the above analysis, insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is upregulated in HNSCC and may serve as an independent prognostic factor of overall survival, thus showing potential as a prognostic biomarker in HNSCC. Genetic alteration analyses elucidated the reasons for the abnormal upregulation of IGF2BP2 in HNSCC. As a result, IGF2BP2 was selected for further univariate and multivariate analyses. The functions of the related genes were annotated through gene set enrichment analysis, and the activation states of multiple biological pathways were shown by gene set variation analysis. We found that LRRC59 and STIP1 may act as IGF2BP2-associated genes to have a regulatory function in the m6A modification. In addition, we found that the status of immune cell infiltration was correlated with the level of IGF2BP2 gene expression. Our results provide supplementation at the molecular level for epigenetic regulation in HNSCC and insight into effective immunotherapy targets and strategies.

Identification and characterization of N6‐methyladenosine modification of circRNAs in glioblastoma

“…Further cellular functional experiments and in vivo experiments are needed to confirm the regulatory effect of N6‐methyladenosine RNA modification on GBM gene expression and to determine the correlation between N6‐methyladenosine modification and the origin and progression of GBM. In addition, the knockout or overexpression of key enzymes involved in N6‐methyladenosine modification may also be a good strategy and emerging direction for the study of N6‐methyladenosine methylation–mediated tumour cell responses 39‐42 …”

“…In addition, the knockout or overexpression of key enzymes involved in N6-methyladenosine modification may also be a good strategy and emerging direction for the study of N6-methyladenosine methylation-mediated tumour cell responses. [39][40][41][42]…”

Pyroptosis-Related Signature and Tumor Microenvironment Infiltration Characterization in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…There are over 655,000 new HNSCC cases per year, with over half a million deaths and ranking as the sixth most widespread and deadly cancer worldwide ( Ferlay et al, 2010 ). The important danger elements involve tobacco smoking, alcohol, and high-risk human papillomavirus infection ( Geng et al, 2021 ). Epstein–Barr virus infection is closely linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma ( Hitt et al, 1989 ).…”

Roles of Major RNA Adenosine Modifications in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Among the aforementioned patients, nearly half of the patients showed increased expression of IGF2BP2, and the expression of the most common oncogene in HNSCC patients increased with higher levels of IGF2BP2. Similarly, Geng et al reported that IGF2BP2 is increased in HNSCC and serves as an m 6 A regulatory gene ( Geng et al, 2021 ). This shows that IGF2BP2 is closely related to the occurrence and development of HNSCC.…”