Pyroptosis-related bioinformatics analysis reveals that IL1A is a prognostic biomarker in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background: Increasing evidence has demonstrated that pyroptosis plays a crucial role in tumor carcinogenesis and progression. However, there is little information concerning pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Purpose of our study was to explore the prognostic value of PRGs in OSCC patients. Materials and methods: RNA-seq and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and PRGs were extracted from the expression profiles. Then, differentially-expressed analysis and functional enrichment analysis were performed. A prognostic model based on PRGs was constructed in R software. Moreover, comprehensive bioinformatics analyses were used to verify the prognostic model and select pyroptosis-related biomarkers. Results: A total of 35 genes were categorized as differentially-expressed PRGs and Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) analysis showed that these genes were mainly located in inflammasome complex and associated with pyroptosis. CHPM3, GSDMB, IL1A and NLRP1 were used to establish the prognostic model. Risk scores of each patients was calculated by using the risk-score formula and a nomogram was plotted to visually predict the survival of the OSCC patients. Then half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 30 common anticancer drugs was analyzed between patients in high-risk and low-risk cohorts. In the end, IL1A was identified as potential pyroptosis-related biomarkers of OSCC. Conclusion: This study established a novel pyroptosis-related prognostic model, provided a novel strategy for predicting the survival of OSCC patients. Moreover, IL1A was identified as an independent pyroptosi-related biomarker and may be a potential target for OSCC.