title: Co-expression of AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 predicts poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) carries a high potential for metastasis and immune escape, with a great risk of relapse after primary treatment. Through analysis of whole genome expression profiling data in NPC samples, we found that the expression of a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), actin filament-associated protein 1 antisense RNA 1 (AFAP1-AS1), is significantly correlated with the immune escape marker programmed death 1 (PD-1). We therefore assessed the expression of AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 in a cohort of 96 paraffin-embedded NPC samples and confirmed that AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 are co-expressed in infiltrating lymphocytes in NPC tissue. Moreover, patients with high expression of AFAP1-AS1 or PD-1 in infiltrating lymphocytes were more prone to distant metastasis, and NPC patients with positive expression of both AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 had the poorest prognosis. This study suggests that AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 may be potential therapeutic targets in NPC and that patients with co-expression of AFAP1-AS1 and PD-1 may be ideal candidates for future clinical trials of anti-PD-1 immune therapy.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Liting
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jinpeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Department of pathology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Zhaojian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Xiayu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Guiyuan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis of the Chinese Ministry of Health, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.|Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Zhaoyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C000605367:AFAP1-AS1 long noncoding RNA, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C105992:PDCD1 protein, human; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding
keywords: AFAP1-AS1; long non-coding RNA; nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); prognosis; programmed death 1 (PD-1)