Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41238648›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Integrating machine learning and experimental validation identifies a post-translational modification gene signature for prognosis and treatment response in breast cancer.

Lina Zhao, Lijuan Song, Hongzhi Wang, Wen Tian, Junfeng Xi, Bo Zhang, Yue Cai, Lei Hou

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lina ZhaoShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Lijuan SongShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Hongzhi WangShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Wen TianShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Junfeng XiShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Bo ZhangShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China. zb147258369369@126.com.
Yue CaiShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China. smxu147258369369@163.com.
Lei HouShanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China. hl2646@163.com.

Funding

The Basic Research Program of Shanxi Province (Free Exploration Category) 202103021224428
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent malignancy among women, and the steadily increasing disease burden has garnered considerable global attention. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are critical in the initiation and progression of BC. This study aimed to elucidate the associations between diverse PTMs and the prognosis of patients with BC. We collected genes associated with multiple PTMs and evaluated the activity of each PTM using GSVA. We aggregated PTM scores to derive the PTMS and identified differentially expressed genes between the high- and low-PTMS groups. A PTM-related gene signature (PTMRS) was developed based on the optimal combination among 117 machine learning models, and its predictive performance was benchmarked against other published signatures. In addition, we investigated the associations between PTMRS, tumor immunity, and treatment response. Gene expression across different cell types was evaluated using single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses. Gene expression levels in cancerous and paired adjacent noncancerous tissues were validated by PCR. The results of GSVA showed that most of the PTMs were dysregulated in cancer. Tumor immunity levels were elevated in the low-PTMS group compared with the high-PTMS group. The PTMRS comprised five genes: SLC27A2, TNFRSF17, PEX5L, FUT3, and COL17A1. The predictive performance of the PTMRS exceeded that of the clinical profile and 14 other published gene signatures. Patients in the high-PTMRS group exhibited poorer prognosis and reduced anti-tumor immunoreactivity. In addition, patients in the low-PTMRS group showed improved responses to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Spatial transcriptomics analysis revealed that SLC27A2 exhibited higher expression in malignant spots, whereas COL17A1 and TNFRSF17 showed lower expression in malignant spots. SLC27A2 mRNA expression was elevated in tumor tissues relative to adjacent noncancerous tissues, whereas the mRNA expression levels of the other four genes were decreased. This study reveals the important role of PTMs in BC prognosis and provides new perspectives for the prognostic assessment of BC patients as well as personalized treatment.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsMachine LearningProtein Processing, Post-TranslationalTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorBreast cancerGene signatureMachine learningPost-translational modificationPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID41238648
PMCPMC12618648

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.