Identification of Glioma Specific Genes as Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers for Glioma

Malignant gliomas are the most prevalent malignancy of the brain. However, there is still a lack of sensitive and accurate biomarkers for gliomas. In this study, we focused on exploring gliomas specific expressed genes as biomarkers. We evaluated whole-genome genes expression levels in 19 different types of human cancers by analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. A total of 698 gliomas specific expressed genes were identified. A protein-protein interacting network was constructed to reveal the potential roles of these gliomas specific genes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that gliomas specific expressed genes were involved in regulating neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, Glutamatergic synapse, chemical synaptic transmission, nervous system development, central nervous system development, and learning. Of note, GRIA1, GNAO1, GRIN1, CACNA1A, CAMK2A, and SYP were identified to be downregulated and associated with poor prognosis in gliomas. The loss of function assay showed that GNAO1 knockdown significantly promoted U87 cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. We thought this study would provide novel biomarkers for gliomas.