Association of RNA-modification “writer” genes with prognosis and response to immunotherapy in patients with low-grade glioma

RNA modification is a key regulatory mechanism involved in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and the immune response. However, the potential role of RNA modification “writer” genes in the immune microenvironment of gliomas and their effect on the response to immunotherapy remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of RNA modification "writer" gene in the prognosis and immunotherapy response of low-grade glioma (LGG). The consensus non-negative matrix factorization (CNMF) method was used to identify different RNA modification subtypes. We used a novel eigengene screening method, the variable neighborhood learning Harris Hawks optimizer (VNLHHO), to screen for eigengenes among the RNA modification subtypes. We constructed a principal components analysis score(PCA_score)-based prognostic prediction model and validated it using an independent cohort. We also analyzed the association between PCA_score and the immune and molecular features of LGG. The results suggested that LGG can be divided into two different RNA modification-based subtypes with distinct prognostic and molecular features. High PCA_score was significantly associated with a poor prognosis in LGG and was an independent prognostic factor. A nomogram containing PCA_score and clinical features was constructed, and it showed a significant predictive value. PCA_score was negatively correlated with tumor purity and the abundance of CD4+ T cells in LGG patients. LGG patients with high PCA_score had lower Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion scores and showed an immunotherapy response. In conclusion, we report a novel RNA modification-based prognostic model for LGG that lays the foundation for evaluating LGG prognosis and developing more effective therapeutic strategies for these tumors.