AUTHOR=Xu Jiasheng , Ling Tianyi , Dai Siqi , Han Shuwen , Ding Kefeng 

TITLE=Constructing the ceRNA Regulatory Network and Combining Immune Cells to Evaluate Prognosis of Colon Cancer Patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.686844

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2021.686844

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=Objective: to construct a ceRNA network to screen RNA that plays an important role in colon cancer and to construct a model to predict the prognosis of patients.
Methods: the gene expression data of colon cancer were downloaded from the  TCGA database. The difference was analyzed by R software and the ceRNA network was constructed. The survival-related RNA was screened out by combining with clinical information, and the prognosis model was established by lasso regression. CIBERSORT was used to analyze the infiltration of immune cells in colon cancer, and the differential expression of immune cells related to survival was screened out by combining clinical information. The correlation between RNA and immune cells was analyzed by lasso regression. PCR was used to verify the expression of 7 RNA in colon cancer patients with different prognoses.
Results: 215 LncRNA, 357  miRNA, and 2955 mRNA were differentially expressed in colon cancer. The constructed ceRNA network contains 18 LncRNA, 42 miRNA, and 168 mRNA, of which 18 RNA are significantly related to survival. Through lasso analysis, we selected seven optimal RNA construction models. The AUC value of the model was greater than 0.7, and there was a significant difference in the survival rate between the high and low-risk groups. Two kinds of immune cells related to the prognosis of patients were screened out. The results showed that the expression of 7 RNA markers in colon cancer patients with different prognoses was basically consistent with the model analysis.
Conclusion: we have established the regulatory network of ceRNA in colon cancer, screened out 7 core RNA and two kinds of immune cells, and constructed a comprehensive prognosis model of colon cancer patients.