Analysis of glutathione Stransferase mu class 5 gene methylation as a prognostic indicator in low-grade gliomas

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Wu, Cuiying^{a; b; 1} | Li, Yunjun^{c; 1} | Luo, Yongchun^c | Dai, Yiwu^c | Qin, Jiazhen^c | Liu, Ning^a | Xu, Ruxiang^d | Li, Xuezhen^{e; *} | Zhang, Peng^{a; c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurosurgery, The Seventh Medical Centre of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China | [b] Department of Neurobiology, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China | [c] Department of Neurosurgery, Senior Department of Neurosurgery, The First Medical Centre of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China | [d] Department of Neurosurgery, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science and Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China | [e] Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Peng Zhang, Department of Neurosurgery, The Seventh Medical Centre of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. E-mail: apengforever@163.com; Xuezhen Li, Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. E-mail: cu iying_w.u78@outlook.com.

Note: [1] Cuiying Wu and Yunjun Li contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Low-grade gliomas (LGG) are a variety of brain tumors that show different clinical outcomes. The methylation of the GSTM5 gene has been noted in the development of LGG, however, its prognostic importance remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between GSTM5 DNA methylation and clinical outcomes in individuals diagnosed with LGG. METHODS: Analysis of GSTM5 methylation levels in LGG samples was conducted using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. The overall survival based on GSTM5 methylation status was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves. The DNA methylation heatmap for particular CpG sites in the GSTM5 gene was visualized using the “pheatmap” R package. RESULTS: The study analyzed that LGG tumors had higher levels of GSTM5 methylation than normal tissues. There was an inverse relationship discovered between GSTM5 expression and methylation. LGG patients with hypermethylation of GSTM5 promoter experienced a positive outcome. Age, grade, and GSTM5 methylation were determined as independent prognostic factors in LGG through both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. CONCLUSION: Methylation of GSTM5 DNA, specifically at certain CpG sites, is linked to a positive outlook in patients with LGG. Utilizing the “pheatmap” R package to visualize GSTM5 methylation patterns offers important information for identifying prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in low-grade gliomas.

Keywords: Low-grade glioma, glutathione S-transferase mu class 5 (GSTM5), prognosist, methylaion, immune cells

DOI: 10.3233/THC-231316

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 3925-3942, 2024