A 16 Epithelia-Mesenchymal Transition Associated LncRNAs Signature to Optimize Prognosis Predication of Stomach Adenocarcinoma

The study aimed to identifying critical long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and constructed a prognostic signature to optimize prognosis predication of patients with Stomach Adenocarcinoma (STAD). STAD is a common malignant tumor with high metastasis rate and low survival rate. LncRNAs participate in the regulation process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and development of STAD. RNAseq data was obtained from TCGA-STAD, while 200 EMT-associated genes (EAGs) from ‘HALLMARK_EPITHELIAL_MESENCHYMA-L _TRANSITION’ gene set. Differentially expressed EAGs and EMT-associated lncRNAs (EALs) were identified. Moreover, Lasso Cox regression analysis was used to construct a signature of differentially expressed EALs, and univariate and multivariate analyses, Kaplan-Meier analysis, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and nomogram were conducted to predict its prognostic value. Enrichment functional analysis was performed. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to determine lncRNAs expressions in cell lines. A total of 52 differentially expressed EAGs and 320 EALs were identified in this study. Meanwhile, 16 EALs was used to construct the signature, and further analysis indicated that it had high prognostic value for STAD patients. Enrichment functional analysis revealed the signature was correlated to tumor immunity in STAD. Moreover, three novel EALs expressions were confirmed in cell lines. A novel survival signature was established to predict and evaluate prognosis of STAD patients.