GPCR genes as a predictor of glioma severity and clinical outcome

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.