Integrative analysis of the immunological features and immunotherapy response of positive regulators of T cell function in colorectal cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background: The positive T-cell function regulators (PTFRs), known for their role in T-cell proliferation and activation, have emerged as potential prognostic indicators in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the influence of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the response to immunotherapy remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we conducted an analysis of PTFR related CRC subtypes based on highly ranked prognostic PTFRs using four independent transcriptome datasets. By identifying differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in two subtypes, we constructed a PTFR risk model using LASSO and Cox regression techniques. Subsequently, we investigated the association between the TFPR risk model and various factors including survival time, clinical information, TME characteristics, tumor mutation profile, microsatellite instability (MSI), Cell stem cells (CSC) index, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Results: The PTFR risk model exhibited significant predictive ability for CRC, enabling the estimation of immune cell content, HLA expression levels, immune checkpoint blade expression, mutation burden, CSC index characteristics, and immunotherapeutic efficacy. Conclusions: These findings contribute to our understanding of PTFRs in CRC development and introduce a novel assessment system for CRC immunotherapy, enhancing our ability to predict treatment outcomes and personalize therapeutic approaches.