Construction And Analysis Of Prognostic Signature Of Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based On Cell Adhesion-related Genes

Objective As a mediator of communication between tumor cells and extracellular matrix,focal adhesions play various roles in tumor invasion,migration,and drug resistance,with focal adhesion-related genes(FARGs)being limitedly studied in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC).Methods The data of HNSCC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and GSE41613 datasets,and 199 FARGs were from the Molecular Signatures database.The cluster analysis was used to reduce dimensions of integrated datasets and classify molecular subtypes of HNSCC patients.Using LASSO regression analysis,the FARG signature model was created and applied to calculate the risk score of each patient.The risk score was used to quantify the subgroups of all patients.We then evaluated the model’s values in prognostic prediction,immune infiltration status and therapeutic responses in HNSCC.Finally,the m RNA and protein expression of prognostic FARGs was verified by experiments.Results Two different HNSCC molecular subtypes were identified according to FARGs,and the overall survival(OS)of patients in C2 is shorter than that of C1.Then,we further constracted a FARG signature which consisting of nine genes.The patients with a higher risk score had lower OS,and the FARG signature is an independent prognostic factor for HNSCC.Furthermore,immune cell infiltration,gene mutation status,and chemotherapeutic sensitivity were all linked to risk scores.ACTB、MAP2K1、MAPK9、PARVB、PDGFA、PIK3R3 and MAPK9 expression was higher in HNSCC tissues than in normal tissues.Conclusions For patients with HNSCC,FARG signature can provide a reliable prognostic prediction.In addition,the genes in this model are associated with immune infiltration,gene mutation status and chemotherapy sensitivity,which may provide new ideas for targeted therapies of HNSCC.