A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Cellular senescence plays a critical role in tumorigenesis, immune cell infiltration, and treatment response. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant tumor that lacks effective therapies. This study aimed to construct and validate a senescence-related...

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Main Authors: Hangya Peng, Qiujing Chen, Lei Ye, Weiqing Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Biomedicines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/894
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author Hangya Peng
Qiujing Chen
Lei Ye
Weiqing Wang
author_facet Hangya Peng
Qiujing Chen
Lei Ye
Weiqing Wang
author_sort Hangya Peng
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background/Objectives</b>: Cellular senescence plays a critical role in tumorigenesis, immune cell infiltration, and treatment response. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant tumor that lacks effective therapies. This study aimed to construct and validate a senescence-related gene signature as an independent prognostic predictor for ACC and explore its impact on the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy response. <b>Methods</b>: Data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, LASSO penalized Cox regression and multivariable Cox regression, we identified a prognostic model with four senescence-related genes (HJURP, CDK1, FOXM1, and CHEK1). The model’s prognostic value was validated through survival analysis, risk score curves, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Tumor mutation burden was assessed with maftools, and the tumor microenvironment was analyzed using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE. Immune and chemotherapeutic responses were assessed through Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) and OncoPredict. <b>Results</b>: The risk score derived from our model showed a strong association with overall survival (OS) in ACC patients (<i>p</i> < 0.001, HR = 2.478). Higher risk scores were correlated with more advanced tumor stages and a greater frequency of somatic mutations. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were downregulated in the high-risk group were significantly enriched in immune-related pathways. Furthermore, high-risk patients were predicted to have reduced sensitivity to immunotherapy (<i>p</i> = 0.02). Bioinformatics analysis identified potential chemotherapeutic agents, including BI-2536 and MIM1, as more effective treatment options for high-risk patients. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our findings indicate that this prognostic model may serve as a valuable tool for predicting overall survival (OS) and treatment responses in ACC patients, including those receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
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spelling doaj-art-7d499e8ba4f54b12b71b91e96a3dc8532025-08-20T03:14:27ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-04-0113489410.3390/biomedicines13040894A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical CarcinomaHangya Peng0Qiujing Chen1Lei Ye2Weiqing Wang3Department of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, ChinaDepartment of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, ChinaDepartment of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, ChinaDepartment of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Cellular senescence plays a critical role in tumorigenesis, immune cell infiltration, and treatment response. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a malignant tumor that lacks effective therapies. This study aimed to construct and validate a senescence-related gene signature as an independent prognostic predictor for ACC and explore its impact on the tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy response. <b>Methods</b>: Data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, LASSO penalized Cox regression and multivariable Cox regression, we identified a prognostic model with four senescence-related genes (HJURP, CDK1, FOXM1, and CHEK1). The model’s prognostic value was validated through survival analysis, risk score curves, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Tumor mutation burden was assessed with maftools, and the tumor microenvironment was analyzed using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE. Immune and chemotherapeutic responses were assessed through Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) and OncoPredict. <b>Results</b>: The risk score derived from our model showed a strong association with overall survival (OS) in ACC patients (<i>p</i> < 0.001, HR = 2.478). Higher risk scores were correlated with more advanced tumor stages and a greater frequency of somatic mutations. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were downregulated in the high-risk group were significantly enriched in immune-related pathways. Furthermore, high-risk patients were predicted to have reduced sensitivity to immunotherapy (<i>p</i> = 0.02). Bioinformatics analysis identified potential chemotherapeutic agents, including BI-2536 and MIM1, as more effective treatment options for high-risk patients. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our findings indicate that this prognostic model may serve as a valuable tool for predicting overall survival (OS) and treatment responses in ACC patients, including those receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/894adrenocortical carcinomasenescenceprognosisimmune microenvironmentdrug sensitivity
spellingShingle Hangya Peng
Qiujing Chen
Lei Ye
Weiqing Wang
A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
Biomedicines
adrenocortical carcinoma
senescence
prognosis
immune microenvironment
drug sensitivity
title A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
title_full A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
title_fullStr A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
title_full_unstemmed A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
title_short A Senescence-Associated Gene Signature for Prognostic Prediction and Therapeutic Targeting in Adrenocortical Carcinoma
title_sort senescence associated gene signature for prognostic prediction and therapeutic targeting in adrenocortical carcinoma
topic adrenocortical carcinoma
senescence
prognosis
immune microenvironment
drug sensitivity
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/894
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