Construction of ceRNA prognostic model based on the CCR7/CCL19 chemokine axis as a biomarker in breast cancer

Abstract Background The study of CCR7/CCL19 chemokine axis and breast cancer (BC) prognosis and metastasis is a current hot topic. We constructed a ceRNA network and risk-prognosis model based on CCR7/CCL19. Methods Based on the lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA expression data downloaded from the TCGA database, we used the starbase website to find the lncRNA and miRNA of CCR7/CCL19 and established the ceRNA network. The 1008 BC samples containing survival data were divided into Train group (504 cases) and Test group (504 cases) using R “caret” package. Then we constructed a prognostic risk model using RNA screened by univariate Cox analysis in the Train group and validated it in the Test and All groups. In addition, we explored the correlation between riskScores and clinical trials and immune-related factors (22 immune-infiltrating cells, tumor microenvironment, 13 immune-related pathways and 24 HLA genes). After transfection with knockdown CCR7, we observed the activity and migration ability of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells using CCK8, scratch assays and angiogenesis assays. Finally, qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of five RNAs in the prognostic risk model in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell. Results Patients with high expression of CCR7 and CCL19 had significantly higher overall survival times than those with low expression. The ceRNA network is constructed by 3 pairs of mRNA-miRNA pairs and 8 pairs of miRNA-lncRNA. After multivariate Cox analysis, we obtained a risk prognostic model: riskScore= -1.544 *`TRG-AS1`+ 0.936 * AC010327.5 + 0.553 *CCR7 -0.208 *CCL19 -0.315 *`hsa-let-7b-5p. Age, stage and riskScore can all be used as independent risk factors for BC prognosis. By drug sensitivity analysis, we found 5 drugs targeting CCR7 (convolamine, amikacin, AH-23,848, ondansetron, flucloxacillin). After transfection with knockdown CCR7, we found a significant reduction in cell activity and migration capacity in MDA-MB-231 cells. Conclusion We constructed the first prognostic model based on the CCR7/CCL19 chemokine axis in BC and explored its role in immune infiltration, tumor microenvironment, and HLA genes.