PDIA4 Correlates with Poor Prognosis and is a Potential Biomarker in Glioma

PURPOSE: Gliomas, characterized by aggressiveness and invasiveness, remain incurable after conventional therapies. The molecular mechanisms driving the progression and maintenance of glioma are still poorly understood. METHODS: The TCGA and CGGA databases were chosen for bioinformatics analysis. Gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA) was performed for differential analysis. The Kaplan–Meier method was chosen for survival analysis. Analysis of stromal and immune infiltration was performed using the ESTIMATE algorithm and xCell package. qPCR and Western blotting were performed to measure the expression of PDIA4 at the mRNA and protein levels. IHC was performed to detect the expression of PDIA4 in glioma tissues. The viability of glioma cells was evaluated by the CCK8 assay. RESULTS: In this study, we identified high PDIA4 expression in gliomas that correlated with poor prognosis. The association between IDH1 and different glioma patterns also indicated the potential biological role of PDIA4 in tumor development. Mechanistically, PDIA4 interacted with multiple immunological components to promote an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Knockdown of PDIA4 significantly impaired the proliferation of GBM cells. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that PDIA4 is an efficient biomarker of gliomas, with clinical implications for prognosis and therapeutic strategies.