Basic Transcription Factor 3 Like 4 Enhances Malignant Phenotypes through Modulating Tumor Cell Function and Immune Microenvironment in Glioma

Abstract

Recent investigations into the tumor microenvironment have provided insights into the limited response of glioma progression to immunotherapy. However, the specific involvement of Basic Transcription Factor 3 Like 4 (BTF3L4) in glioma progression and its correlation with immune cell infiltration remained areas of uncertainty that require further exploration. In the present study, BTF3L4 expression was delineated using gene-expression-profiling-interactive-analysis and multiplex-immunohistological staining of tissue microarrays. Then, the prognostic value of BTF3L4 was assessed using Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier methods and conducted in vitro experiments to investigate how BTF3L4 protein impacts the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of glioma cells. Furthermore, the Cibersort and Estimate methods were employed to quantify immune cells that correlate to BTF3L4 expression and applied multiplex-immunohistological staining to investigate its correlation with infiltrated immune cells in glioma tissues. These findings revealed a higher BTF3L4 expression in glioma tissues compared to non-tumor brain tissues, which correlated with clinical characteristics and worse patient prognosis. Furthermore, the downregulation of BTF3L4 protein in glioma cell line had a detrimental effect on cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. Additionally, the association between BTF3L4 and key immune molecules in glioma, particularly with the infiltration of CD66B+ neutrophils and PD-L1 expression was identified. These results highlight the prognostic significance of BTF3L4 and propose BTF3L4 as a potential target for glioma immune therapy.