Abstract
BackgroundGlioma is one of the highly fatal primary tumors in the central nervous system. As a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME), immune cell has been proved to play a critical role in the progression and prognosis of the diffuse lower-grade gliomas (LGGs). This study aims to screen the key immune-related factors of LGGs by investigating the TCGA database.MethodsThe RNA-sequencing data of 508 LGG patients were downloaded in the TCGA database. ESTIMATE algorithm was utilized to calculate the stromal, immune, and ESTIMATE scores, based on which, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by using “limma” package. Cox regression analysis and the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape software were subsequently applied to screen the survival-related genes and hub genes, the intersection of which led to the identification of SERPINE1 that played key roles in the LGGs. The expression patterns, clinical features, and regulatory mechanisms of SERPINE1 in the LGGs were further analyzed by data mining of the TCGA database. What’s more, the above analyses of SERPINE1 were further validated in the LGG cohort from the CGGA database.ResultWe found that stromal and immune cell infiltrations were strongly related to the prognosis and malignancy of the LGGs. A total of 54 survival-related genes and 46 hub genes were screened out in the DEGs, within which SERPINE1 was identified to be significantly overexpressed in the LGG samples compared with the normal tissues. Moreover, the upregulation of SERPINE1 was more pronounced in the gliomas of WHO grade III and IDH wild type, and its expression was correlated with poor prognosis in the LGG patients. The independent prognostic value of SERPINE1 in the LGG patients was also confirmed by Cox regression analysis. In terms of the functions of SERPINE1, the results of enrichment analysis indicated that SERPINE1 was mainly enriched in the immune‐related biological processes and signaling pathways. Furthermore, it was closely associated with infiltrations of immune cells in the LGG microenvironment and acted synergistically with PD1, PD-L1, PD-L2.ConclusionThese findings proved that SERPINE1 could serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential immunotherapy target of LGGs.
Highlights
Glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), originated from the transformed progenitor cells or neural stem cells [1]
The gene expression profiling data and clinical information of 533 lower-grade gliomas (LGGs) samples were downloaded from the TCGA database
Based on the ESTIMATE algorithm, the immune scores varied from -1676.002 to 2477.026, the stromal scores ranged from -1769.170 to 1710.690, and the ESTIMATE scores
Summary
Glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumors in the central nervous system (CNS), originated from the transformed progenitor cells or neural stem cells [1]. Diffuse low-grade (WHO grade II) and intermediate-grade (WHO grade III) gliomas are collectively referred to as lower-grade gliomas (LGGs) [4]. Compared with glioblastoma (WHO grade IV), LGGs are relatively benign and have a favorable prognosis. As a matter of fact, most LGGs eventually progress to the secondary tumors with higher grades [4, 5]. Glioma is one of the highly fatal primary tumors in the central nervous system. As a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME), immune cell has been proved to play a critical role in the progression and prognosis of the diffuse lower-grade gliomas (LGGs). This study aims to screen the key immune-related factors of LGGs by investigating the TCGA database
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