A risk model based on ferroptosis- and cuproptosis-related lncRNAs predicts prognosis and immune microenvironment in lung adenocarcinoma by bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification.

Ferroptosis and cuproptosis are both novel types of cell death. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with multiple cancers. Notably, bioinformatics study of ferroptosis- and cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (FCLs) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been elucidated. In this study, we used univariate Cox, multivariate Cox, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox (LASSO-Cox) analyses to screen three FCLs, namely AC079193.2, AC090559.1, and AL512363.1. We then showed that these three FCLs were tumor-specific and correlated with ferroptosis and cuproptosis using qRT-PCR. Next, a prognostic risk model consisting of high- and low-risk cohorts was successfully constructed based on The Cancer Genome Atlas-LUAD data. The high-risk group consistently demonstrated poor prognosis. The accuracy of the model was evaluated using AUC, C-index curves, and nomograms. Furthermore, KEGG and GO analysis with R software showed significant enrichment in immune functions and metabolic pathways. Hereto, the immune function and immune cell expression results were more pronounced in the low-risk versus high-risk group. In conclusion, the prognostic risk model comprised of three FCLs effectively predicted patient outcomes and is associated with the immune microenvironment in LUAD.