Identification of crucial genes of pyrimidine metabolism as biomarkers for gastric cancer prognosis

Cancer Cell Int. 2021 Dec 14;21(1):668. doi: 10.1186/s12935-021-02385-x.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic reprogramming has been reported in various kinds of cancers and is related to clinical prognosis, but the prognostic role of pyrimidine metabolism in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear.

Methods: Here, we employed DEG analysis to detect the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in pyrimidine metabolic signaling pathway and used univariate Cox analysis, Lasso-penalizes Cox regression analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis to explore their prognostic roles in GC. The DEGs were experimentally validated in GC cells and clinical samples by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results: Through DEG analysis, we found NT5E, DPYS and UPP1 these three genes are highly expressed in GC. This conclusion has also been verified in GC cells and clinical samples. A prognostic risk model was established according to these three DEGs by Univariate Cox analysis and Lasso-penalizes Cox regression analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis suggested that patient cohorts with high risk score undertook a lower overall survival rate than those with low risk score. Stratified survival analysis, Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis of this model confirmed that it is a reliable and independent clinical factor. Therefore, we made nomograms to visually depict the survival rate of GC patients according to some important clinical factors including our risk model.

Conclusion: In a word, our research found that pyrimidine metabolism is dysregulated in GC and established a prognostic model of GC based on genes differentially expressed in pyrimidine metabolism.

Keywords: Bioinformatics; Biomarker; GC; Prognosis risk model; Pyrimidine metabolism.