Integrative Analysis of Multi-omics Data Identified EGFR and PTGS2 as Key Nodes in a Gene Regulatory Network Related to Immune Phenotypes in Head and Neck Cancer

©2020 American Association for Cancer Research..

PURPOSE: Malignant progression exhibits a tightly orchestrated balance between immune effector response and tolerance. However, underlying molecular principles that drive the establishment and maintenance of the tumor immune phenotype remain to be elucidated.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We trained a novel molecular classifier based on immune cell subsets related to programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and interferon γ (IFNγ) expression, which revealed distinct subgroups with higher (cluster A) or lower (subcluster B3) cytotoxic immune phenotypes. Integrative analysis of multi-omics data was conducted to identify differences in genetic and epigenetic landscapes as well as their impact on differentially expressed genes (DEG) among immune phenotypes. A prognostic gene signature for immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) was established by a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox regression model.

RESULTS: Mutational landscape analyses unraveled a higher frequency of CASP8 somatic mutations in subcluster A1, while subcluster B3 exhibited a characteristic pattern of copy-number alterations affecting chemokine signaling and immune effector response. The integrative multi-omics approach identified EGFR and PTGS2 as key nodes in a gene regulatory network related to the immune phenotype, and several DEGs related to the immune phenotypes were affected by EGFR inhibition in tumor cell lines. Finally, we established a prognostic gene signature by a LASSO-Cox regression model based on DEGs between nonprogressive disease and progressive disease subgroups for ICI.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlight a complex interplay between genetic and epigenetic events in the establishment of the tumor immune phenotype and provide compelling experimental evidence that a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck at higher risk for ICI treatment failure might benefit from a combination with EGFR inhibition.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:26

Enthalten in:

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research - 26(2020), 14 vom: 15. Juli, Seite 3616-3628

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Feng, Bohai [VerfasserIn]
Shen, Ying [VerfasserIn]
Pastor Hostench, Xavier [VerfasserIn]
Bieg, Matthias [VerfasserIn]
Plath, Michaela [VerfasserIn]
Ishaque, Naveed [VerfasserIn]
Eils, Roland [VerfasserIn]
Freier, Kolja [VerfasserIn]
Weichert, Wilko [VerfasserIn]
Zaoui, Karim [VerfasserIn]
Hess, Jochen [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

B7-H1 Antigen
Biomarkers, Tumor
CD274 protein, human
Cyclooxygenase 2
EC 1.14.99.1
EC 2.7.10.1
EGFR protein, human
ErbB Receptors
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Journal Article
PDCD1 protein, human
PTGS2 protein, human
Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 02.11.2021

Date Revised 02.11.2021

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-3997

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM307493172