Identification of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition related long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) signature in Glioma

Abstract

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may be exploited as potential therapeutic targets in gliomas. However, the prognostic value of EMT-related lncRNAs in gliomas is unclear. We obtained lncRNAs from The Cancer Genome Atlas and constructed EMT-related lncRNA co-expression networks to identify EMT-related lncRNAs. The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) was used for validation. Gene set enrichment and principal component analyses were used for functional annotation. The EMT-lncRNA co-expression networks were constructed. A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay was performed to validate the bioinformatics results. A nine-EMTrelated lncRNAs (HAR1A, LINC00641, LINC00900, MIR210HG, MIR22HG, PVT1, SLC25A21-AS1, SNAI3-AS1, and SNHG18) signature was identified in patients with glioma. Patients in the low-risk group had a longer overall survival (OS) than those in the high-risk group (P < 0.0001). Additionally, patients in the high-risk group showed no deletion of chromosomal arms 1p and/or 19q, isocitrate dehydrogenase wild type, and higher World Health Organization grade. Moreover, the signature was identified as an independent factor and was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.041, hazard ratio = 1.806). These findings were further validated using the CGGA dataset. The low-and high-risk groups showed different EMT statuses based on principal component analysis. To study the regulatory function of lncRNAs, a lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network was constructed, which showed that complex interactions of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA may be a potential cause of EMT progression in gliomas. This study showed that the nine-EMT-related lncRNA signature has a prognostic value in gliomas.

E2F transcription factor 1/small nucleolar RNA host gene 18/microRNA-338-5p/forkhead box D1: an important regulatory axis in glioma progression

“…LncRNAs widely partake in the regulation of gene expression, thus playing an essential regulatory role in the malignant biological behaviors of tumor cells [ 26 ]. In glioma progression, lncRNA is also an important regulator.…”

Evolving Insights Into the Biological Function and Clinical Significance of Long Noncoding RNA in Glioblastoma

“…However, the biological function of lncRNAs in the EMT process of GBM remains poorly understood. Recently, Tao et al screened EMT-associated lncRNAs in TCGA database and found nine EMT-associated lncRNAs and GBM patients with higher EMT-associated lncRNA expression had poorer overall survival ( Tao et al, 2021 ). However, the biological function and underlying molecular basis of EMT-associated lncRNAs still need to be characterized.…”

Identification of EMT-Related Genes and Prognostic Signature With Significant Implications on Biological Properties and Oncology Treatment of Lower Grade Gliomas

“…In addition, previous studies have attempted to reveal the prognostic impact of EMT on glioma. For example, Tao et al constructed an EMT-related lncRNAs prognostic model based on glioma samples and explored the predictive capability of EMT-related lncRNAs for the immune features ( Tao et al, 2021 ). However, this study has not fully explored the correlation of their prognostic model with genetic features, epigenetic modifications of DNA and RNA, stemness features, metabolism, the efficiency of radiotherapy and TMZ chemotherapy, and sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy in LGG.…”