Develop a Novel Signature to Predict the Survival and Affect the Immune Microenvironment of Osteosarcoma Patients: Anoikis-Related Genes

Abstract

Objective. Osteosarcoma (OS) represents a prevalent primary bone neoplasm predominantly affecting the pediatric and adolescent populations, presenting a considerable challenge to human health. The objective of this investigation is to develop a prognostic model centered on anoikis-related genes (ARGs), with the aim of accurately forecasting the survival outcomes of individuals diagnosed with OS and offering insights into modulating the immune microenvironment. Methods. The study’s training cohort comprised 86 OS patients sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, while the validation cohort consisted of 53 OS patients extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differential analysis utilized the GSE33382 dataset, encompassing three normal samples and 84 OS samples. Subsequently, the study executed gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses. Identification of differentially expressed ARGs associated with OS prognosis was carried out through univariate COX regression analysis, followed by LASSO regression analysis to mitigate overfitting risks and construct a robust prognostic model. Model accuracy was assessed via risk curves, survival curves, receiver operating characteristic curves, independent prognostic analysis, principal component analysis, and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) analysis. Additionally, a nomogram model was devised, exhibiting promising potential in predicting OS patient prognosis. Further investigations incorporated gene set enrichment analysis to delineate active pathways in high- and low-risk groups. Furthermore, the impact of the risk prognostic model on the immune microenvironment of OS was evaluated through tumor microenvironment analysis, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), and immune infiltration cell correlation analysis. Drug sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify potentially effective drugs for OS treatment. Ultimately, the verification of the implicated ARGs in the model construction was conducted through the utilization of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results. The ARGs risk prognostic model was developed, comprising seven high-risk ARGs (CBS, MYC, MMP3, CD36, SCD, COL13A1, and HSP90B1) and four low-risk ARGs (VASH1, TNFRSF1A, PIP5K1C, and CTNNBIP1). This prognostic model demonstrates a robust capability in predicting overall survival among patients. Analysis of immune correlations revealed that the high-risk group exhibited lower immune scores compared to the low-risk group within our prognostic model. Specifically, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were notably downregulated in the high-risk group, alongside significant downregulation of checkpoint and T cell coinhibition mechanisms. Additionally, three immune checkpoint-related genes (CD200R1, HAVCR2, and LAIR1) displayed significant differences between the high- and low-risk groups. The utilization of a nomogram model demonstrated significant efficacy in prognosticating the outcomes of OS patients. Furthermore, tumor metastasis emerged as an independent prognostic factor, suggesting a potential association between ARGs and OS metastasis. Notably, our study identified eight drugs—Bortezomib, Midostaurin, CHIR.99021, JNK.Inhibitor.VIII, Lenalidomide, Sunitinib, GDC0941, and GW.441756—as exhibiting sensitivity toward OS. The RT-qPCR findings indicate diminished expression levels of CBS, MYC, MMP3, and PIP5K1C within the context of OS. Conversely, elevated expression levels were observed for CD36, SCD, COL13A1, HSP90B1, VASH1, and CTNNBIP1 in OS. Conclusion. The outcomes of this investigation present an opportunity to predict the survival outcomes among individuals diagnosed with OS. Furthermore, these findings hold promise for progressing research endeavors focused on prognostic evaluation and therapeutic interventions pertaining to this particular ailment.