Potential role of palmitoylation-coexpressed lncRNA in prognosis and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lacks effective prognostic biomarkers. We explored the role of palmitoylation-coexpressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in HCC progression and tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling. Using TCGA data, we constructed an 8-lncRNA signature (PCLS) via LASSO and multivariate Cox regression. The PCLS robustly stratified HCC patients into risk groups; high-risk patients exhibited worse overall survival and immunosuppressive TME features. Furthermore, PCLS predicted differential responses to immunotherapy and conventional chemotherapeutic agents. The PCLS signature serves as a powerful prognostic tool, reflecting palmitoylation-mediated lncRNA regulation and TME heterogeneity, offering potential to guide personalized immunotherapy and chemotherapy strategies for HCC management.