Three E2F target-related genes signature for predicting prognosis, immune features, and drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma

Baozhu Zhang; Boyang Chang; Lu Wang; Yuzhong Xu

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2023.1266515

Three E2F target-related genes signature for predicting prognosis, immune features, and drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma

Front Mol Biosci. 2023 Oct 3:10:1266515. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1266515. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Baozhu Zhang^#¹, Boyang Chang^#², Lu Wang³, Yuzhong Xu³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, The People's Hospital of Baoan Shenzhen, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
² Department of Interventional Radiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Clinical Laboratory, The People's Hospital of Baoan Shenzhen, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is extremely malignant and difficult to treat. The adenoviral early region 2 binding factors (E2Fs) target pathway is thought to have a major role in tumor growth. This study aimed to identify a predictive E2F target signature and facilitate individualized treatment for HCC patients. Methods: We constructed an E2F target-related gene profile using univariate COX and LASSO regression models and proved its predictive efficacy in external cohorts. Furthermore, we characterized the role of the E2F target pathway in pathway enrichment, immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity of HCC. Results: Lasso Cox regression created an E2F target-related gene signature of GHR, TRIP13, and CDCA8. HCC patients with high risk were correlated with shorter survival time, immune evasion, tumor stem cell characteristics and high sensitivity to Tipifarnib and Camptothecin drugs. Conclusion: Hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis was predicted by an E2F target signature. This finding establishes the theoretical usefulness of the E2F target route in customized identification and treatment for future research.

Keywords: E2F target; drug sensitivity; hepatocellular carcinoma; immune landscape; prognosis.

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number: 81802732) and Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (Grant Number: RCBS20200714114918239).