Immune Infiltrates of m6A RNA Methylation-Related lncRNAs and Identification of PD-L1 in Patients With Primary Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between m(6)A-modified lncRNAs, immune infiltration, and PD-L1 expression in patients with primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the prognostic value of m(6)A RNA methylation-related lncRNAs in HNSCC. Methods: We downloaded the RNA-seq transcriptome data and the clinical information for HNSCC from the TCGA databases and used consensus clustering analysis to divide the samples into two groups. To identify a risk signature, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses were conducted. the association between m(6)A-modified lncRNAs, immune infiltration, and PD-L1 expression were detected by using the R packages. What is more, we used cBioPortal tools to identify genomic alterations and PD-L1 mutations and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was utilized to predict downstream access of two clusters. Results: Notably, lncRNAs play significant roles in tumorigenesis and development. In total, we identified two subtypes of HNSCC according to consensus clustering of the m(6)A RNA methylation-related lncRNAs, and the T, grade and age were proven to be related to the subtypes. The Cox regression and LASSO analyses identified a risk signature including GRHL3-AS1, AL121845.4, AC116914.2, AL513190.1. The prognostic value of the risk signature was then proven. The selected gene PD-L1 mutations and the immune infiltration in both groups were further explored. Conclusion: Collectively, our study elucidated the important role of m(6)A RNA methylation- related lncRNAs in tumor microenvironment of HNSCC. The proposed m(6)A RNA methylation- related lncRNAs might serve as crucial mediators of tumor microenvironment of HNSCC, representing promising therapeutic targets in improving immunotherapeutic efficacy.

Automated summary

This study aimed to explore the association between m(6)A-modified lncRNAs, immune infiltration, and PD-L1 expression in HNSCC patients, as well as the prognostic value of m(6)A RNA methylation-related lncRNAs. Through clustering analysis, two subtypes of HNSCC were identified, with certain clinicopathological features related to these subtypes. A risk signature including specific lncRNAs was identified and found to have prognostic value. Additionally, genomic alterations, PD-L1 mutations, and immune infiltration were further investigated using various analytical tools.