Expression of SREBP2 and cholesterol metabolism related genes in TCGA glioma cohorts

Diffuse gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database provides correlative evidence between altered molecular pathways and gliomas. Dysregulated cholesterol homeostasis emerges as a potential indicator of the pathogenesis of gliomas. Mining large cohorts from the TCGA together with database from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) for confirmation, we compared gene expression of cholesterol synthesis master regulator SREBP2 and its regulatory networks in low grade glioma (LGG) and glioblastoma (GBM). Our analysis shows that expression of SREBP2 and related genes is lower in GBM than in LGG, indicating that cholesterol metabolism processes, including de novo synthesis, cholesterol uptakes, and cholesterol conversion and efflux, are suppressed in GBM. Overall, our data suggests that SREBP2 transcript could serve as a potential prognosis marker or therapeutic target in diffuse glioma including GBM.