ACO1 and IREB2 downregulation confer poor prognosis and correlate with autophagy-related ferroptosis and immune infiltration in KIRC

Abstract

BackgroundACO1 and IREB2 are two homologous cytosolic regulatory proteins, which sense iron levels and change iron metabolism–linked molecules. These two genes were noticeably decreased in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), which confer poor survival. Meanwhile, there is a paucity of information about the mechanisms and clinical significance of ACO1 and IREB2 downregulation in renal cancers.MethodsThe expression profiles of ACO1 and IREB2 were assessed using multiple public data sets via several bioinformatics platforms. Clinical and pathological information was utilized to stratify cohorts for comparison. Patient survival outcomes were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier plotter, a meta-analysis tool. The correlations of ACO1 and IREB2 with ferroptosis were further evaluated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)–KIRC database. Tumor immune infiltration was analyzed using the CIBERSORT, TIMER, and GEPIA data resources. ACO1 antagonist sodium oxalomalate (OMA) and IREB2 inhibitor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was used to treat renal cancer ACHN cells together with sorafenib.ResultsKIRC patients with low ACO1 or IREB2 contents exhibited a remarkably worse survival rate in contrast with those with high expression in Kaplan–Meier survival analyses. Meanwhile, ACO1 and IREB2 regulate autophagy-linked ferroptosis along with immune cell invasion in the tumor microenvironment in KIRC patients. Blocking the activation of these two genes by their inhibitors OMA and SNP ameliorated sorafenib-triggered cell death, supporting that ACO1 and IREB2 could be participated in its cytotoxic influence on renal cancer cells.ConclusionACO1 and IREB2 downregulation in renal cancers were correlated with cancer aggressiveness, cellular iron homeostasis, cytotoxic immune cell infiltration, and patient survival outcomes. Our research is integral to verify the possible significance of ACO1 and IREB2 contents as a powerful signature for targeted treatment or novel immunotherapy in clinical settings.

Induction mechanism of ferroptosis: A novel therapeutic target in lung disease

“…Frontiers in Pharmacology frontiersin.org light chain after inhibition, leading to a decreased intracellular free iron level and inhibiting the emergence of ferroptosis (Zhu et al, 2022).…”

Exploring a ferroptosis and oxidative stress-based prognostic model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

“…The multi-kinase inhibitors sorafenib is recommended to be the first-line strategy for treating advanced ccRCC patients ( 30 , 31 ). Interestingly, it can block the system Xc - function, induce GSH consumption and lipid ROS accumulation, and thus trigger ferroptosis in RCC cells ( 32 – 34 ). Therefore, comprehensive exploration of the FPTOSs expression profiles could deepen the understanding of occurrence and progression of ccRCC.…”

Research of targeted therapy for renal cancer from 2006 to 2022: a bibliometric and visualized analysis

“…These studies are important for deepening our understanding of the basic of cellular life activities, molecular mechanisms of cancer occurrence and development, and drug development. For instance, Zhu et al confirmed that two genes, ACO1 and IREB2, are strong prognostic biomarkers for patients with RCC, and they were associated with RCC autophagy, ferroptosis, and immune infiltration (37).…”