Predictive value of PIMREG in the prognosis and response to immune checkpoint blockade of glioma patients

Oncogenic role and prognostic significance of PIMREG in melanoma

Background

Phosphatidylinositol binding clathrin assembly protein interacting mitotic regulator (PIMREG) plays a significant role in metaphase-to-anaphase transition in cell cycle. Its aberrant expression has been reported to be in correlation with the development of several tumors. However, its role in melanoma remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic roles of PIMREG in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM).

Methods

The expression levels of PIMREG were analyzed in SKCM using datasets downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The diagnostic accuracy was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. PIMREG was correlated to the functional states of SKCM cells using CancerSEA. Additionally, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING (https://cn.string-db.org), and hub genes were identified using Cytoscape. Enrichment analysis through Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was utilized to explore the potential functions of PIMREG. The single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) method was employed to investigate the correlation between PIMREG expression and the level of immune infiltration in SKCM. Drug sensitivity and resistance were analyzed using GSCALite and Cellminer.

Results

The expression of PIMREG was significantly higher in SKCM tissues. Its overexpression correlated with poor survival outcome in melanoma patients. ROC analysis also revealed that PIMREG had high diagnostic potential, with area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.874. Multivariate regression also identified PIMREG could serve as an independent diagnostic indicator for SKCM. Using the web tool of CancerSEA, we demonstrated that PIMREG is involved in cell cycle, DNA repair, DNA damage, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and proliferation. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that PIMREG might be correlated with some biological processes (BPs) and important pathways related to cancer, including Wnt signaling and epidermis development.

Conclusions

PIMREG is a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and may be regarded as a possible therapeutic target for SKCM.

CSF3R as a potential prognostic biomarker and immunotherapy target in glioma

Introduction

Gliomas are the most common malignant brain tumors, with complicated etiology and poor prognosis. However, there is still a lack of specific biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis assessment for glioma patients. Hence, the purpose of this study was to screen biomarkers for prognostic assessment and therapeutic interventions in gliomas.

Material and methods

We utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases to investigate the role of colony-stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) in glioma. Data analysis was conducted using R, GEPIA 2, TISCH and DepMap.

Results

CSF3R was up-regulated in glioma and associated with the clinical pathological features of the patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated a significant association between the expression of CSF3R and prognosis in patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses revealed that patients with high expression of CSF3R have a worse prognosis, and the expression of CSF3R was an independent prognostic factor in gliomas. The nomogram constructed based on the expression of CSF3R demonstrated lower 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients with high CSF3R expression. The biological functional analysis of CSF3R demonstrated its association with various immune regulatory signals. Furthermore, CSF3R was linked to the expression of immune checkpoints and resistance to immunotherapy. Notably, CSF3R was predominantly detected in monocytes/macrophages.

Conclusions

Our study suggested that CSF3R might potentially function as an independent prognostic factor for glioma and hold promise as a biomarker and target for immunotherapy in glioma.

TGF-β-activated circRYK drives glioblastoma progression by increasing VLDLR mRNA expression and stability in a ceRNA- and RBP-dependent manner

BACKGROUND

The TGF-β signalling pathway is intricately associated with the progression of glioblastoma (GBM). The objective of this study was to examine the role of circRNAs in the TGF-β signalling pathway.

METHODS

In our research, we used transcriptome analysis to search for circRNAs that were activated by TGF-β. After confirming the expression pattern of the selected circRYK, we carried out in vitro and in vivo cell function assays. The underlying mechanisms were analysed via RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays.

RESULTS

CircRYK expression was markedly elevated in GBM, and this phenotype was strongly associated with a poor prognosis. Functionally, circRYK promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and GSC maintenance in GBM. Mechanistically, circRYK sponges miR-330-5p and promotes the expression of the oncogene VLDLR. In addition, circRYK could enhance the stability of VLDLR mRNA via the RNA-binding protein HuR.

CONCLUSION

Our findings show that TGF-β promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and GSC maintenance in GBM through the circRYK-VLDLR axis, which may provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of GBM.

APOL4, a Novel Immune-Related Prognostic Biomarker for Glioma

Glioma is the common, most aggressive and poorest prognostic tumor type in the brain. More and more biomarkers associated with glioma treatment, prognosis, and immunity are being discovered. Here, we aimed to explore the underlying biological functions and prognostic predictive value of Apolipoprotein L4 (APOL4) in glioma. We downloaded the expression data of APOL4 and clinical information from several databases and used R software for preprocessing. The clinical significance of APOL4 in a glioma outcome was explored by the Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. In addition, immune infiltrates and microenvironmental indicators were assessed by CIBERSORT and TIMER. GO and KEGG analyses were used to analyze the potential functions of APOL4 in gliomas. APOL4 expression was increased in glioma specimens compared to normal tissues and correlated dramatically with the WHO grade. A survival analysis showed a shorter overall survival (OS) in glioma patients with APOL4 overexpression, and a Cox regression analysis showed that APOL4 was an independent prognostic factor for the OS of glioma patients. GSEA, GO, and KEGG enrichment analyses showed remarkable enrichment in immune-related pathways. APOL4 expression was positively correlated with immune infiltration (including DC cells, neutrophils, CD8+ T cells, B cells, macrophages, CD4+ T cells, etc.) and microenvironmental parameters (including immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores) in gliomas. Glioma patients with a higher expression of APOL4 may be more sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). In conclusion, these findings suggest that APOL4 is associated with the tumor grade and immune infiltrates; APOL4 may be a new and potential biomarker for therapeutic and prognostic evaluations that may further suggest the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy.