Title:Identification of WDFY3 Neoantigens as Prognostic Markers in Longterm Survivors of Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
VOLUME: 20 ISSUE: 11
Author(s):Yingyi Wang, Bao Jin, Na Zhou, Zhao Sun, Jiayi Li, Qiao Chen, Xiangan Wu, Yi Zhou, Yue Shi, Xin Lu, Xinting Sang, Yilei Mao, Shunda Du*, Wenze Wang* and Chunmei Bai*
Affiliation:Department of Medical Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Medical Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Medical Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Liver Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Department of Medical Oncology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing
Keywords:Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, WDFY3 neoantigens, prognosis, immune cell infiltration, immune signature
genes, tumor mutation burden.
Abstract:
Background: Neoantigens are newly formed antigens that have not been previously recognized
by the immune system. They may arise from altered tumor proteins that form as a result of
mutations. Although neoantigens have recently been linked to antitumor immunity in long-term survivors
of cancers, such as melanoma and colorectal cancer, their prognostic and immune-modulatory
role in many cancer types remains undefined.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify prognostic markers for long-term extrahepatic
cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) survival.
Methods: We investigated neoantigens in EHCC, a rare, aggressive cancer with a 5-year overall
survival rate lower than 10%, using a combination of whole-exome sequencing (WES), RNA sequencing
(RNA-seq), computational biophysics, and immunohistochemistry.
Results: Our analysis revealed a decreased neutrophil infiltration-related trend of high-quality
neoantigen load with IC50 <500 nM (r=-0.445, P=0.043). Among 24 EHCC patients examined, we
identified four long-term survivors with WDFY3 neoantigens and none with WDFY3 neoantigens
in the short-term survivors. The WDFY3 neoantigens are associated with a lower infiltration of neutrophils
(p=0.013), lower expression of CCL5 (p=0.025), CXCL9 (p=0.036) and TIGIT (p=0.016),
and less favorable prognosis (p=0.030). In contrast, the prognosis was not significantly associated
with tumor mutation burden, neoantigen load, or immune cell infiltration.
Conclusion: We suggest that the WDFY3 neoantigens may affect prognosis by regulating antitumor
immunity and that the WDFY3 neoantigens may be harnessed as potential targets for immunotherapy
of EHCC.
