ESPL1 Is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker Associated With the Malignant Features of Glioma

Research has confirmed that extra spindle pole bodies-like 1 (ESPL1), an etiological factor, promotes the malignant progression of cancers. However, the relationship between ESPL1 and glioma has not yet been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to reveal the potential mechanisms of ESPL1-mediated malignant glioma progression. Gene expression data and detailed clinical information of glioma cases were obtained from multiple public databases. Subsequently, a series of bioinformatics analyses were used to elucidate the effects of ESPL1 on glioma. The results demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of ESPL1 in glioma were higher than those in normal brain tissues. In addition, ESPL1 expression was considerably associated with the clinical and pathological features of gliomas, such as World Health Organization grade, histology, and 1p19q co-deletion status. Importantly, ESPL1 reduced the overall survival (OS) of glioma patients and had prognostic value for gliomas. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indirectly revealed that ESPL1 regulates the activation of cancer-related pathways, such as the cell cycle and base excision repair pathways. In addition, we used the Connectivity Map (CMap) database to screen three molecular drugs that inhibit ESPL1: thioguanosine, antimycin A, and zidovudine. Finally, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of ESPL1 in glioma cell lines. This study plays an important role in revealing the etiology of glioma by revealing the function of ESPL1, providing a potential molecular marker for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma, especially low-grade glioma.