Integrated single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing in pancreatic cancer identifies disulfidptosis-associated molecular subtypes and prognostic signature

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is known for its high degree of heterogeneity and exceptionally adverse outcome. While disulfidptosis is the most recently identified form of cell death, the predictive and therapeutic value of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) for PC remains unknown. RNA sequencing data with the follow-up information, were retrieved from the TCGA and ICGC databases. Consensus clustering analysis was conducted on patient data using R software. Subsequently, the LASSO regression analysis was conducted to create a prognostic signature for foreseeing the outcome of PC. Differences in relevant pathways, mutational landscape, and tumor immune microenvironment were compared between PC samples with different risk levels. Finally, we experimentally confirmed the impact of DSG3 on the invasion and migration abilities of PC cells. All twenty DRGs were found to be hyperexpressed in PC tissues, and fourteen of them significantly associated with PC survival. Using consensus clustering analysis based on these DRGs, four DRclusters were identified. Additionally, altogether 223 differential genes were evaluated between clusters, indicating potential biological differences between them. Four gene clusters (geneClusters) were recognized according to these genes, and a 10-gene prognostic signature was created. High-risk patients were found to be primarily enriched in signaling pathways related to the cell cycle and p53. Furthermore, the rate of mutations was markedly higher in high-risk patients, besides important variations were present in terms of immune microenvironment and chemotherapy sensitivity among patients with different risk levels. DSG3 could appreciably enhance the invasion and migration of PC cells. This work, based on disulfidoptosis-related genes (DRGs), holds the promise of classifying PC patients and predicting their prognosis, mutational landscape, immune microenvironment, and drug therapy. These insights could boost an improvement in a better comprehension of the role of DRGs in PC as well as provide new opportunities for prognostic prediction and more effective treatment strategies.