A novel signature for stratifying the molecular heterogeneity of the tissue-infiltrating T-cell receptor repertoire reflects gastric cancer prognosis

Many basic properties of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire require clarification, and the changes occurring in the TCR repertoire during carcinogenesis, especially during precancerous stages, remain unclear. This study used deep sequencing analyses to examine 41 gastric tissue samples at different pathological stages, including low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, early gastric cancer and matched adjacent tissues, to define the characteristics of the infiltrating TCRβ repertoire during gastric carcinogenesis. Moreover, to illustrate the relationship between the local molecular phenotype and TCR repertoire of the microenvironment, whole-genome gene expression microarray analysis of the corresponding gastric precancerous lesions and early gastric cancer tissues was conducted. Our results showed that the degree of variation in the TCR repertoire gradually increased during tumourigenesis. Integrative analysis of microarray data and the TCR repertoire variation index using the network-based Clique Percolation Method identified an 11-gene module related to the inflammatory response that can predict the overall survival of gastric cancer (GC) patients. In conclusion, our results revealed the multistage heterogeneity of tissue-infiltrating TCR repertoire during carcinogenesis. We report a novel way for identifying prognostic biomarkers for GC patients and improves our understanding of immune responses during gastric carcinogenesis.