circ-0007707/miR-429/PDGFD Pathway Regulates the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Modulating the Immune-Gene Signature

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy is an important treatment modality for gastric cancer, therefore, it is crucial to understand the regulators of the tumor microenvironment in gastric cancer. Numerous studies have shown that noncoding RNAs have a critical status in the tumor progression, and the influence of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks on gastric adenocarcinoma has been widely discussed over the years, but the connection between ceRNA networks and the immune microenvironment of cancer is unclear. This study was aimed at exploring how ceRNA networks influence the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer by modulating the tumor microenvironment. METHODS: The Gene Expression Omnibus was analyzed to obtain differential expression matrixes of the noncoding RNAs (circular RNAs (circRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs)), and mRNAs. The Circular RNA Interactome web tool and TargetScan were applied to determine the miRNA binding sites of the circRNAs and miRNA target genes. The Cancer Genome Atlas provided prognostic genes for gastric cancer, and Cytoscape created the ceRNA networks. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay were adopted to find out how the ceRNA network regulates the expression of the hub gene. Additionally, the TISIDB and TIMER databases were used to assess the link between the hub gene and immunotherapy, with TISIDB providing the immune genes that are coexpressed with the hub gene. Furthermore, the immune-gene signature was constructed by using Cox regression analysis. Moreover, the nomogram, which could predict the prognostic role of gastric cancer patients was created on the basis of the immune-gene signature. RESULTS: In gastric cancer, the circ-0007707/miR-429/PDGFD pathway had a differential expression. The results demonstrated that the pathway could regulate the progression and immune microenvironment of gastric cancer by modulating the immune-gene signature, which included two immune genes (TAB1 and CXCR4). Moreover, the low-risk group patients had better survival. CONCLUSION: The circ-0007707/miR-429/PDGFD pathway may play a regulatory role in the progression and prognosis of gastric cancer by interfering with the tumor microenvironment, and the PDGFD-related immune-gene signature could be considered a moderator of prognostic factor for gastric cancer and to guide immunotherapy programs.