Dalin Chen

and 8 more

Background The high heterogeneity of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has led to poor clinical outcomes. The critical role of amino acid metabolic reprogramming in tumor growth is gradually emerging. However, amino acid metabolism in HCC is less studied, and the mechanisms still need to be clarified. Methods We acquired transcriptome information on HCC patients from public databases. Amino acid metabolism-related genes (ACRGs) were used as prognostic markers. We built the prognosis-related ACRG_score model using Univariate/Multivariate COX and Lasso regression analyses following stratification by consensus clustering. Furthermore, we assigned HCC patients with high ACRG expression to the high-risk category and others to the low-risk category. We compared clinical characteristics, immune cell infiltration, somatic mutations, and immune checkpoint (IC) genes among the groups. Finally, drug sensitivity and molecular docking analyses were used to identify therapeutic candidates targeting the essential ACRG target proteins. Result We constructed a six-gene ACRG_score model that better predicted the survival prognosis for liver cancer patients, and we validated it using internal and external datasets. In HCC patients, ACRG_score are associated with clinicopathological characteristics and have proven to be an independent prediction factor. Nomogram and calibration curves illustrated the model could correctly forecast patient prognosis. In addition, immune infiltration, Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), and ACRG_score were revealed to be significantly correlated. IC genes were also present. According to immunohistochemical analysis, HCC tissues had higher EZH2, SLC2A1, and SPP1 expression levels than normal tissues. Additionally, we identified seven candidate small-molecule medications that may bind four of the ACRG essential target proteins. Conclusions: In this study, the ACRG_score model was created to analyze the prognosis, TMB, IC, and therapy responsiveness for HCC patients. This model can predict patient prognosis, guide immunotherapy, provide clinical dosing suggestions, and supply valuable tools for individualized patient treatment.