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Apoptosis is closely associated with the development of various cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the prognostic value of apoptosis-related lncRNAs (ApoRLs) in LUAD has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we screened 2, 960 ApoRLs by constructing a co-expression network of mRNAs-lncRNAs associated with apoptosis, and identified 421 ApoRLs that were differentially expressed between LUAD samples and normal lung samples. Sixteen differentially expressed apoptosis-related lncRNAs (DE-ApoRLs) with prognostic relevance to LUAD patients were screened using univariate Cox regression analysis. An apoptosis-related lncRNA signature (ApoRLSig ) containing 10 ApoRLs was constructed by applying the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression method, and all LUAD patients in the TCGA cohort were divided into high or low risk groups. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group had a worse prognosis (p < 0.05). When analyzed in conjunction with clinical features, we found ApoRLSig to be an independent predictor of LUAD patients and established a prognostic nomogram combining ApoRLSig and clinical features. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that ApoRLSig is involved in many malignancy-associated immunomodulatory pathways. In addition, there were significant differences in the immune microenvironment and immune cells between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Further analysis revealed that the expression levels of most immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) were higher in the high-risk group, which suggested that the immunotherapy effect was better in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group. And we found that the high-risk group was also better than the low-risk group in terms of chemotherapy effect. In conclusion, we successfully constructed an ApoRLSig which could predict the prognosis of LUAD patients and provide a novel strategy for the antitumor treatment of LUAD patients.

Biodegradable nanosyringes were prepared to achieve efficient loading, delivery and release of biomolecules (enzymes, nucleic acids, and even silencing RNA (siRNA)) into living cells for amplification-based dual-detection of cancer biomarkers and gene therapy for cancer., The efficient delivery of biomolecules into living cells as well as their easy biodegradation have been challenges for the application of intracellular amplification for sensitive multiple-diagnosis and gene therapy for cancer. Herein, new strategies of amplification-based dual-detection of cancer biomarkers (Let-7a miRNA and VEGF) and gene therapy for cancers are put forward. These are achieved through biodegradable nanosyringes (NSs), rigid and sharp in vitro but degradable in vivo, which are applied for the efficient loading, delivery and release of biomolecules (enzymes, nucleic acids, and even silencing RNA) into living cells. After penetrating cell membranes and escaping from endosomes through their rigid and sharp tips, NSs release biomolecules for fast and easy “one-step” rolling circle amplification (ring formation and amplification) in single living cells. Therefore, based on signals from two probes, FAM-Probe and Cy5-Probe, that selectively bind to amplification products, 100 aM of Let-7a and 100 fM of VEGF could be detected, which are much lower than reported values. Furthermore, siRNAs can also be delivered by NSs for gene therapy, and their therapeutic effect was evaluated by their in vivo antitumor efficacy in CCRF-CEM subcutaneous xenograft nude mice. Rigid in vitro and degradable in vivo, NSs show potential for achieving fast, sensitive and safe cancer diagnosis and efficient therapy.