Research on the fatty acid metabolism gene FN1 and establishment of a model to guide immunotherapy of bladder cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background Fatty acid metabolism plays an important role in many biological activities, such as cell membrane formation, energy storage, and signal molecule generation in tumorigenesis. Lipid metabolism affects the progression and treatment of bladder cancer (BLCA). Therefore, it is imperative to explore the function and prognostic value of lipid metabolism-related genes in BLCA patients. Methods In this study, we collected gene expression profiles and clinical information in The Cancer Genome Map (TCGA) database and two independent Group on Earth Observations (GEO) datasets. Gene interaction information was obtained from ENCORI database. Based on these databases, the expression patterns of genes and proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism and their matched clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. In addition, we conducted a series of experiments to verify the relevant findings. Results A total of 310 fatty acid metabolism-related mRNA were found in TCGA, 91 of which were differentially expressed in BLCA patients. According to the correlation between DGEs and patients’ characteristics, we established a clinical prognosis related model and verified the accuracy of the model according to the information of GEO database. Survival analysis based on TCGA database showed that among the top 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), the expression of FN1 was statistically significant for the survival of BLCA patients. In addition, clinical correlation analysis showed that the increase of FN1 level was highly related to the stage, grade, and infiltration of immune cells in BLCA. Finally, our experimental results are consistent with bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion The fatty acid metabolism gene FN1 is closely related to the prognosis of BLCA patients and plays an important role in the occurrence, development, and immune response of BLCA. Further research will make it a powerful prognostic marker and therapeutic target for BLCA.