Identification of Immune Cell Infiltration and Immune-Related Genes in the Tumor Microenvironment of Glioblastomas

Sicong Huang; Zijun Song; Tiesong Zhang; Xuyan He; Kaiyuan Huang; Qihui Zhang; Qihui Zhang; Jian Shen; Jianwei Pan

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2020.585034

Frontiers in Immunology (Oct 2020)

Identification of Immune Cell Infiltration and Immune-Related Genes in the Tumor Microenvironment of Glioblastomas

Sicong Huang,
Zijun Song,
Tiesong Zhang,
Xuyan He,
Kaiyuan Huang,
Qihui Zhang,
Qihui Zhang,
Jian Shen,
Jianwei Pan

Affiliations

Sicong Huang: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Zijun Song: The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Tiesong Zhang: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Xuyan He: The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Kaiyuan Huang: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Qihui Zhang: Department of Neurology, Dong Fang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
Qihui Zhang: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Jian Shen: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Jianwei Pan: Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.585034
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11

Abstract

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most prevalent malignant brain tumors with poor prognosis. Increasing evidence has revealed that infiltrating immune cells and other stromal components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are associated with prognosis of GBM. The aim of the present study was to identify immune cells and immune-related genes extracted from TME in GBM. RNA-sequencing and clinical data of GBM were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Four survival-related immune cells were identified via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) screened. Functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for the genes were constructed. In addition, we identified 24 hub genes and the expressions of 6 of the genes were significantly associated with prognosis of GBM. Finally, the genes were validated in single-cell sequencing studies of GBM, and the immune cells validated in an independent GBM cohort from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). Overall, 24 immune-related genes infiltrating the tumor microenvironment were identified in the present study, which could serve as novel biomarkers and immune therapeutic targets.

Published in Frontiers in Immunology

ISSN: 1664-3224 (Online)
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Specialties of internal medicine: Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Website: http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/immunology

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Abstract

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