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oa Determination of Nitrogen Metabolism-Related Prognostic Signatures for Forecasting Bladder Cancer Prognosis
- Source: Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets, Volume 26, Issue 1, Jan 2026, E18715303371907
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- 07 Dec 2024
- 22 Apr 2025
- 16 May 2025
Abstract
Bladder cancer is one of the major health threats worldwide, and aberrant regulation of nitrogen metabolism is closely related to its development. Understanding the role of nitrogen metabolism-related genes in BC is pivotal for the development of new therapeutic strategies and prognostic assessment.
This study aimed to explore the prognostic factors associated with nitrogen metabolism in bladder cancer (BC) and to construct a prognostic model.
Differential expression gene analysis was performed to identify genes associated with nitrogen metabolism by analyzing mRNA expression data from BC patients. The prognostic relationship between these genes and BC patients was analyzed using univariate Cox regression. One hundred one combinatorial machine learning methods were applied for feature selection, and key prognostic genes were identified based on the method with the highest combined score. Immunocyte infiltration analysis was carried out to assess the tumor microenvironmental characteristics of patients in different risk groups.
Twenty-five genes significantly associated with prognosis were identified from nitrogen metabolism-related genes. Twenty-three most prognostically predictive signature genes were screened under feature screening with multiple machine-learning models. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that patients in the high-risk group had significantly different immune cell infiltration, suggesting that these genes may influence BC progression by regulating immune escape mechanisms. These results provide new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for precision treatment and prognostic assessment of BC.
The findings suggest that nitrogen metabolism-related genes play a key role in the prognosis of bladder cancer and may be involved in regulating the tumor immune microenvironment. Different immune environments were demonstrated in high and low Riskscore groups, implying that these genes may contribute to immune evasion and thus promote tumor progression. These observations are consistent with emerging evidence that emphasizes the interplay between metabolism and immunity during cancer development. By combining nitrogen metabolism with immune analysis, this study provides a new perspective for stratifying BC patients and identifying therapeutic targets.
The expression patterns of nitrogen metabolism-related genes identified can be used as effective biomarkers for bladder cancer prognosis, providing a scientific basis for personalized treatment. Future studies can further explore the specific biological functions and mechanisms of action of these genes to promote more effective clinical applications.