Membrane Trafficking-Related Genes Predict Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease with varying clinical outcomes. The identification of distinct subgroups of CRC patients based on molecular profiling can aid in better understanding the disease and improving patient outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the potential of membrane trafficking-related genes (MTRGs) in sub-grouping colorectal cancer patients based on their overall survival and immune microenvironments. Consensus clustering analysis identified two distinct clusters with different expression profiles of membrane trafficking-related genes. The patients in cluster 1 had a significantly better overall survival than those in cluster 2. Furthermore, the immune microenvironments in the two clusters were also found to be significantly different, with cluster 1 having a higher immune score and more immune cells present. Functional analysis of differentially expressed genes between the two clusters revealed that MTRGs were involved in immune response and metabolic processes, and a risk signature model based on MTRGs was established to predict the prognosis of CRC patients. These findings suggest that MTRGs play a crucial role in the immune microenvironment and overall survival of CRC patients and may provide a potential target for personalized therapy.