Comprehensive analysis of the collagen family members as prognostic markers in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the common malignant tumors worldwide. There is still a lack of effective diagnostic and therapeutic targets for the recurrence and metastasis of ccRCC. In this study, we sought to identify effective diagnostic and therapeutic targets for ccRCC recurrence and metastasis.

Methods: Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset was used to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between primary and metastasis ccRCC. We used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), GeneMANIA, cBioPortal, MethSurv, and TIMER to analyze the expression differences, mutation status, prognostic value, molecular function, and immune infiltration of hub genes in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Results: We obtained a total of 35 different gene lists. Six collagen family members were identified as hub genes. The expression level of collagen family members was closely related to ccRCC. Moreover, differences in the expression levels of collagen family members were closely related to the stage and prognosis of ccRCC. Members of the collagen family were responsible for more than 15% of the genetic alterations in ccRCC and are involved in multiple signaling pathways. The expression level of collagen family members was closely related to the infiltration of tumor-associated immune cells. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression identified the prognosis-related genes: COL5A1.

Conclusions: Our study implied that members of the collagen family may serve as a biomarker for ccRCC metastasis and prognosis.