MIR548P and TRAV39 Are Potential Indicators of Tumor Microenvironment and Novel Prognostic Biomarkers of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a common aggressive malignancy in the world. Multiple studies have shown evidence to support the hypothesis that certain functional genes that are engaged in the microenvironment of tumors played a role in the progression of ESCC. Thus, to better analyze the prognostic values of important genes in ESCC, there is an immediate need for an in-depth research study. From the TCGA database, the RNA-seq data and clinical features of 163 ESCC patients were obtained. Using the ESTIMATE technique, we were able to calculate the ImmuneScore, the StromalScore, and the ESTIMATEScore for each ESCC sample. The samples from the ESCC were split up into high score and low score groups based on the median of the various scores. In this study, ImmuneScore, StromalScore, and ESTIMATEScore were not found to be linked with overall survival of ESCC patients, according to our findings. Higher StromalScores were linked to more advanced T stages and clinical stages. The intersection analysis that was exhibited by the use of a Venn diagram indicated that there was a total of 944 upregulated genes that shared the same high score in both the ImmuneScore and the StromalScore and that there was 0 downregulated gene that shared the same low score. Survival experiments confirmed MIR548P and TRAV39 as critical prognostic biomarkers for ESCC patients. Importantly, we found that TRAV39 expression was positively associated with T cell CD4 memory activated while negatively associated with B cell memory, dendritic cells activated, and mast cells activated. In addition, we found that MIR548P expression was negatively associated with mast cells activated while positively associated with T cell CD4 memory activated. Overall, we identified MIR548P and TRAV39 as new modulators for ESCC, affecting the immune microenvironment of ESCC patients and may be a target of immunotherapy.