Ferroptosis regulator genes are a favorable biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma
Abstract BackgroundIn this study, we comprehensively analyzed the relationship between ferroptosis regulator genes (FRGs) and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), determined the prognostics value of FRGs, established a prediction model, and explored the relationship with immunotherapy for HCC.MethodsThe mRNA transcriptional levels and clinical information of HCC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The 24 FRGs were combined with the differential expression genes (DEGs) of HCC for further analysis. The prognostics values of differential FRGs via the construction of model and validation by the Cox regression analysis.ResultThere were three genes (CARS1, FANCD2, and SLC7A11) were identified as independent risk factors for HCC, and a predictive model was constructed based on CARS1, FANCD2, and SLC7A11. The model showed that the low-risk group HCC patients with a more prolonged overall survival (OS) than the high-risk group (P=0.001). The high-risk group with higher expression of FRGs than the low-risk group. Finally, the relations between FGEs and immune infiltration showed that CARS1, FANCD2, and SLC7A11 had a positive relationship with macrophage infiltration. From these, three genes might be the potential therapeutic targets.ConclusionOur study indicated that CARS1, FANCD2, and SLC7A11 might have potential value for therapeutic strategies as practical and reliable prognostic tools for HCC.