GPCR genes as a predictor of glioma severity and clinical outcome

Abstract

Objective To undertake a comprehensive analysis of the differential expression of the G protein-coupled receptor ( GPCR) genes in order to construct a GPCR gene signature for human glioma prognosis. Methods This current study investigated several glioma transcriptomic datasets and identified the GPCR genes potentially associated with glioma severity. Results A gene signature comprising 13 GPCR genes (nine upregulated and four downregulated genes in high-grade glioma) was developed. The predictive power of the 13-gene signature was tested in two validation cohorts and a strong positive correlation (Spearman’s rank correlation test: ρ =  0.649 for the Validation1 cohort; ρ = 0.693 for the Validation2 cohort) was observed between the glioma grade and 13-gene based severity score in both cohorts. The 13-gene signature was also predictive of glioma prognosis based on Kaplan–Meier survival curve analyses and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis in four cohorts of patients with glioma. Conclusions Knowledge of GPCR gene expression in glioma may help researchers gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of high-grade glioma. Further studies are needed to validate the association between these GPCR genes and glioma pathogenesis.