Background: Cuproptosis is a novel form of cellular demise that occurs through a unique pathway involving lipoylated proteins in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and is closely linked to mitochondrial metabolism. Nevertheless, the comprehensive elucidation of the impact of carcinogenesis-associated genes (CRGs) on prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME), and therapeutic response in patients with gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear.
Methods: In total, 1374 GC samples were gathered from three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The samples were then stratified into different subtypes through unsupervised clustering of the 13 CRG profiles. The CRG_score was developed to quantify CRG patterns of individual tumors. Subsequently, we investigated the associations among the various groups and clinicopathological features, immune infiltration features, TME mutation status, and response to immunotherapy.
Results: The GC samples were divided into two clusters based on their distinct clinicopathological features, prognosis, and immune characteristics. Using LASSO and Cox regression analyses, 9 genes were identified for constructing a prognostic signature related to cuproptosis. The novel signature displayed outstanding durability and prognostic capability for the overall lifespan of individuals. Additionally, the expression levels of signature genes in GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were tested by qRT-PCR. Moreover, we developed a remarkably dependable nomogram to enhance the practicality of the CRG_score in clinical settings. High tumor mutation burden, increased microsatellite instability-high, immune activation, along with good survival probability and increased immunoreactivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors, were distinguishing features of low CRG_scores.
Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed the possible impacts of CRGs on the TME, clinical and pathological characteristics, and outlook of patients with GC. This signature was strongly linked to the immune response against GC and has the potential to serve as a valuable tool for predicting patient prognosis.
Keywords: Cuproptosis; Gastric cancer; Immunotherapy; Molecular subtypes; Tumor microenvironment.
© 2024 The Authors.