Basement membrane genes can predict the prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and are correlated with immune status

Abstract Background: Basement membrane (BM) genes are an important factor in the process of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Thus, identifying BMs with prognostic values in ccRCC is critical. Methods: The samples from TCGA were separated randomly into 2 cohorts, the training cohort, and the validation cohort. For the training cohort univariate Cox, Lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to identify prognostic BM genes and then construct a prognostic BM-genes’ signature. The nomogram was applied to predict prognosis at different clinicopathological stages and risk scores. GO and KEGG analyses were applied to the differentially expressed genes. Moreover, the CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE scores were calculated and compared between the high-risk cohort and the low-risk cohort. Results: A prognostic risk model of four BM genes, including ADAMTS14, COL7A1, HSPG2, and TIMP3, was constructed. There were also significant differences in survival time between the high-risk and low-risk groups for the validation cohort and the entire cohort. The risk model was validated as a new independent prognostic factor for ccRCC by univariate and multivariate Cox regression together with clinicopathological characteristics. In addition, a nomogram showed good prediction. The model can also analyze the possibility of immune escape and response to immunotherapy in ccRCC patients. In addition, the results of a pan-cancer analysis showed that these four model genes were associated with immune-related genes in a variety of cancers. Conclusion: The signature of four BM genes had a significant prognostic value for ccRCC. They may be promising targets for therapy, especially immune therapy.