Prognostic characterization of copper death-related immune checkpoint genes and analysis of immunologic and pharmacologic therapy in bladder cancer

YANG Cong-yu, A Runa, LIU Jia-ming

1. Bengbu Medical University, Clinical Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China

2. Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, China

3. Department of Urology, Cangxi County People's Hospital, Cangxi 628400, China

4. Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China

ARTICLE INFO

Article history:

Received 5 Oct 2023

Received in revised form 8 Dec 2023

Accepted 16 Jan 2024

Available online 28 Feb 2024

Keywords:

Bladder cancer

Copper death

Immune checkpoints

Immunotherapy

Drug therapy

ABSTRACT Objective: Copper death-induced tumor cell death and immune checkpoint blockade therapy are highly selective.Combining their advantages and understanding their characteristics in bladder cancer is very important for the development of new targeted therapy.The identification of bladder cancer by screening the characteristic genes of copper death-related immune checkpoints provide a theoretical basis for the selection of adjuvant treatment options and the application of new targets.Methods: The expression samples of normal bladder tissue and bladder cancer were obtained from TCGA and GEO databases, and 13 cop- per death genes and 79 immune checkpoint genes were extracted from previous studies.The mRNA expression of prognostic genes was verified by qPCR.The copper death-related immune checkpoint genes were screened by correlation analysis to construct a prognostic model, and the differences in the efficacy of immunotherapy and chemotherapy between the high-risk group and the low-risk group were evaluated.Results: A prognostic model consisting of BTNL9, CD160, TNFRSF14 and TNFRSF18 was constructed.Its reliable predictive ability was proved in both databases,and qPCR showed that the expression levels of the four genes were significantly different between the normal group and the cancer cell group.The effect of immunotherapy in the lowrisk group was better than that in the high-risk group.Patients in the high-risk group had better chemotherapy efficacy.Conclusion: The copper death-related immune checkpoint gene model can accurately predict the prognosis of patients.Drug and immune analysis provide a basis for clinical treatment, and the discovery of potential targets provides a new solution for clinical decision-making.