Prognostic analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on Cuproptosis - associated lncRNAs

Abstract Objectives Cuproptosis is a novel form of copper-dependent non-apoptotic cell death, and the role of copper apoptosis-associated long non-coding RNAs (CRLncRNAs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the significance of copper apoptosis-related lncRNAs in HCC in tumorigenesis and prognosis. Methods We analyzed gene transcriptomic data and clinical data of HCC cases by obtaining them from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We combined Cuproptosis-related genes to establish prognostic Cuproptosis -related lncRNA features and further illustrated the mechanism of Cuproptosis-related LncRNAs in the prognosis and treatment of HCC through Lasso and Cox regression analyses, survival analyses of samples, and analyses of tumor mutation load as well as immune function。 Results We established a prognosis-related model consisting of 6 Cuproptosis -related lncRNAs: AC026412.3, AC125437.1, AL353572.4, MKLN1-AS, TMCC1-AS1, SLC6A1-AS1. Both the training and validation sets had excellent results in the prognosis of tumor patients, and the survival time of the low-risk group based on the model was much higher than that of the high-risk group. Besides, the analysis of tumor mutation load difference, immune function analysis, GO/KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and drug sensitivity analysis also demonstrated the possible mechanism of Cuproptosis-associated LncRNAs. Conclusions The model constructed based on Cuproptosis-related lncRNA has good predictions for the prognosis and immunotherapy of tumor patients, which may play an important role in patient management and immunotherapy, providing reference value for subsequent research.