Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Apr 15, 2023; 15(4): 644-664
Published online Apr 15, 2023. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i4.644
Comprehensive analysis of prognostic value and immunotherapy prospect of brain cytoplasmic RNA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Xiao-Yong Han, Xiong Li, Rang-Yin Zhao, Hai-Zhong Ma, Miao Yu, Xiang-Dong Niu, Hao-Jie Jin, Yong-Feng Wang, De-Ming Liu, Hui Cai
Xiao-Yong Han, Xiong Li, Rang-Yin Zhao, Hai-Zhong Ma, Miao Yu, Xiang-Dong Niu, Yong-Feng Wang, De-Ming Liu, Hui Cai, Gansu General Surgery Clinical Medical Center, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Xiao-Yong Han, Xiong Li, Graduate School, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Xiao-Yong Han, Miao Yu, Yong-Feng Wang, Hui Cai, Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnostics and Precision Medicine for Surgical Oncology in Gansu Province, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Rang-Yin Zhao, The First Clinical Medical College, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Hai-Zhong Ma, Hao-Jie Jin, Yong-Feng Wang, The First Clinical College of Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Hui Cai, Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Hui Cai, NHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Therapy of Gastrointestinal Tumor, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Author contributions: Han XY conceived the study; Zhao RY, Niu XD and Jin HJ performed the download and analysis of data; Yu M, Liu DM and Wang YF performed visual drawings; Han XY and Li X co-wrote the manuscript; Ma HZ and Cai H reviewed this manuscript; Han XY and Li X contributed equally to this work.
Supported by the 2021 Central-Guided Local Science and Technology Development Fund, No. ZYYDDFFZZJ-1; Gansu Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis and Precision Treatment of Surgical Tumors, No. 18JR2RA033; Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment of National Health Commission, No. 2019PT320005; Key Talent Project of Gansu Province of the Organization Department of Gansu Provincial Party Committee, No. 2020RCXM076; Guiding Plan for Scientific and Technological Development of Lanzhou, No. 2019-ZD-102.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors confirm that there are no conflicts of interest in their study.
Data sharing statement: The corresponding author may provide data obtained from this study upon reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hui Cai, PhD, Research Scientist, Researcher, Gansu General Surgery Clinical Medical Center, Gansu Provincial Hospital, No. 204 Donggang West Road, Chengguan District, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. caialonteam@163.com
Received: November 24, 2022
Peer-review started: November 24, 2022
First decision: January 23, 2023
Revised: February 18, 2023
Accepted: March 15, 2023
Article in press: March 15, 2023
Published online: April 15, 2023
Processing time: 138 Days and 20.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and has a high mortality rate. Early detection of HCC can achieve a good 5-year survival rate by surgical treatment, liver transplantation and radiotherapy. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment is particularly important, and identifying novel sensitive tumor markers and discovering novel molecular therapeutic targets are key goals. Exploring novel immunotherapeutic drugs is another breakthrough.

Research motivation

The expression of brain cytoplasmic RNA1 (BCYRN1) is linked to the clinicopathology and prognosis of several types of cancers, among which HCC is one of the most frequent types of cancer worldwide.

Research objectives

In this study, bioinformatics and meta-analysis were used to explore the prognostic value and immunotherapeutic potential of BCYRN1 in HCC.

Research methods

Information was obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. First, the correlation between BCYRN1 expression and prognosis and clinicopathologic characteristics of HCC patients was explored. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between BCYRN1 and HCC prognosis. Second, potential functions and pathways were explored by means of enrichment analysis of differentially-expressed genes. The relationship between BCYRN1 expression and tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint, drug sensitivity and immunotherapy effect was also investigated. Finally, three major databases were searched and used to conduct a meta-analysis on the relationship between BCYRN1 expression and patient prognosis.

Research results

BCYRN1 expression was significantly higher in HCC compared to normal tissues and was linked to a poor prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics. Enrichment analysis showed that BCYRN1 regulates the extracellular matrix and transmission of signaling molecules, participates in the metabolism of nutrients, such as proteins, and participates in tumor-related pathways. BCYRN1 expression was linked to the tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity and the efficacy of immunotherapy. Furthermore, the meta-analysis in this study showed that BCYRN1 overexpression was related to a worse outcome in HCC patients.

Research conclusions

Our study revealed that high BCYRN1 expression related to a poor prognosis and clinicopathological progression of HCC patients. Furthermore, the expression of BCYRN1 was significantly related to the level of immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity and immunotherapy responses in HCC.

Research perspectives

Overexpression of BCYRN1 relates to poor prognosis and may be a potential prognostic factor and immunotherapeutic target in HCC.