Development and validation of an immune-related gene pairs signature in lower-grade glioma

Abstract Background Lower-grade gliomas (LGG) are the prevalent primary intracerebral malignancy tumor. Increasing evidence indicated an association between immune signature and LGG prognosis. Thus, we aim to develop an immune-related gene pairs (IRGPs) signature that can predict prognosis for LGG. Method: Gene expression levels and clinical information of LGG patients (LGGs) were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases. The two databases were divided into training cohort (n = 515) and an independent validation cohort (n = 604). IGRPs significantly associated with prognosis were selected by Cox regression. Gene set enrichment analysis and filtration were performed on IGRPs. Results Within 1991 immune genes, an 8 IRGPs signature including 15 unique genes was constructed, which had a significant association with survival. In the validation dataset, the IRGPs signature significantly stratified LGGs into low- and high-risk groups (P < 0.001), and it remained an independent prognostic factor in univariate and multivariate analyses (P < 0.001). Additionally, 26 functional pathways were filtrated through the intersection of Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. Conclusion The IGRPs signature demonstrated good prognostic value in lower-grade glioma, which may provide new insights into individual treatment for glioma patients. And the IGRPs might take effect through these filtrated 26 functional pathways.