Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41904502›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2026

A lactylation-associated gene signature predicts prognosis in neuroblastoma and identifies RPS6KA6 as a candidate biomarker.

Lin Lu, Yanan Zhang, Jiaxiong Tan, Benfu Zhong, Yun Liu, Xiangdong Tian, Wenchen Gong, Xin Li, Lu Chen, Yuren Xia and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lin Lu *Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Yanan Zhang *Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Jiaxiong Tan *Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Benfu ZhongTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Yun LiuTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Xiangdong TianTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Wenchen GongTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Xin LiTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China.
Lu ChenTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China. chenlu@tmu.edu.cn.
Yuren XiaTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China. xiayuren8910@tmu.edu.cn.
Qiang ZhaoTianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China. qiangzhao169@sina.com.

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation 2024M752393Joint Funds of the Natural Science Foundation Tianjin No.25JCLMJC00720National Natural Science Foundation of China 82203423National Natural Science Foundation of China 82373365National Natural Science Foundation of China 82403771National Natural Science Foundation of China 82472991Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin Municipality 23JCYBJC00600Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin Municipality 24JCQNJC00860Science and Technology Project of Tianjin Binhai New Area health commission 2023BWKQ016Tianjin Key Medical Discipline (Specialty) Construction Project TJYXZDXK-009A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, is characterized by marked clinical heterogeneity and extremely poor outcomes in high-risk patients, and remains a leading cause of pediatric cancer-related mortality. Although lactylation has recently emerged as a metabolic–epigenetic modification implicated in tumor biology, its relevance to NB remains largely unexplored.

methodsThis study aimed to explore the prognostic value of lactylation-associated transcriptional patterns in NB, their relationship with the tumor immune microenvironment, and potential therapeutic implications. Transcriptomic and clinical data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress databases. Lactylation-related genes(LRGs) were curated from published literature. Differential expression analysis and survival modeling were used to construct a prognostic gene signature. Model performance was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Immune infiltration and predicted drug sensitivity were assessed using established computational algorithms. In vitro functional assays and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of clinical NB specimens were performed to examine the relevance of the core gene RPS6KA6.

resultsA five-gene prognostic signature derived from LRG-defined clusters (GRIN3A, TERT, E2F3, RPS6KA6, and CAMTA1) was established and validated. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited significantly poorer overall survival compared with those in the low-risk group. The low-risk group showed higher immune cell infiltration and was predicted to be more responsive to immunotherapy. Through Connectivity Map analysis, Entinostat (MS-275), a class I histone deacetylase inhibitor, was identified as a candidate compound associated with the high-risk transcriptional state. In vitro assays indicated that RPS6KA6 contributes to NB cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and IHC analysis demonstrated that elevated RPS6KA6 expression in tumor tissues is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes.

conclusionWe developed a five-gene lactylation-associated, pattern-derived prognostic signature derived from LRG-defined subtypes that effectively stratified neuroblastoma patients by risk and was associated with distinct immune features and predicted drug sensitivity. RPS6KA6 was further characterized by in vitro functional assays and immunohistochemical evaluation in clinical specimens, supporting its candidacy as a prognostic biomarker. These findings provide preliminary insights into metabolism-associated epigenetic programs in NB and their relevance to personalized treatment strategies.

Indexed as

Biomarkers, TumorNeuroblastomaCell Line, TumorFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMalePrognosisTranscriptomeTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, TumorGene signatureLactylationNeuroblastomaPrognosis modelRPS6KA6

Identifiers

PMID41904502
PMCPMC13154518

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