M7G-related miRNA biomarkers for predicting overall survival outcomes for colon carcinoma

Abstract Colon cancer (COAD) is a highly malignant disease with poor prognosis, more effective treatment strategies need to be explored urgently. M7G methylation can molecularly affect transcriptional processes leading to cancer development. However, the prognostic value of m7G-related gene miRNAs in colon cancer remains to be further investigated. In this study, miRNA, mRNA expression profiles and corresponding clinical data of COAD patients were downloaded from the public database TCGA. A total of 109 m7G-related gene miRNAs were differentially expressed between COAD and adjacent normal tissues in TCGA (p<0.05 and |logFC|>=1), and 13 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were correlated with overall survival in univariate Cox regression analysis. Based on Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression, a polygenic prognostic model was constructed, and the risk score was validated. Five gene biomarkers (hsa−miR−21−3p, hsa−miR−887−5p, hsa−miR−9−5p, hsa−miR−378d, hsa−miR−31−5p) were associated with colon cancer prognosis. The patients were divided into high and low risk groups according to the risk score. The OS of patients in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that of the patients in the lower risk group (P < 0.001). The time-dependent ROC curve analysis confirmed the predictive ability of tumor biomarkers. Risk score was an independent predictor of OS (HR>1, P<0.001). Functional enrichment analysis showed that immune-related pathways were involved in the regulatory process. In conclusion, five novel m7G-related gene miRNAs biomarkers can be used for prognosis prediction of colon cancer. Targeting m7g-related miRNAs may be an alternative treatment for COAD.