NPC2 as a Prognostic Biomarker for Glioblastoma Based on Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis and Cytological Experiments

• Main Authors: De Wei, Shanghang Shen, Kun Lin, Feng Lu, Pengfeng Zheng, Shizhong Wu, Dezhi Kang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Genetics
• Subjects: glioblastoma; prognostic biomarkers; NPC2; Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO); bioinformatics analysis
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2021.611442/full

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common and fatal malignancies worldwide, while its prognostic biomarkers are still being explored. This study aims to identify potential genes with clinical and prognostic significance by integrating bioinformatics analysis and investigating their function in HNSCC. Based on the Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) results of H3K27M-glioma cells, computational bioinformatics methods were employed for selecting prognostic biomarker for GBM. The protein NPC2 (NPC Intracellular Cholesterol Transporter 2), which has been shown to be related to lipoprotein metabolism and innate immune system, was identified to be upregulated in GBM. NPC2 showed a relatively higher expression in GBM samples, and a negative correlation with tumor purity and tumor infiltrating immune cells. Additionally, NPC2 was knocked down in U87-MG and U251 cells line, and cell proliferation and migration capability were evaluated with CCK-8, scratch and transwell assay, respectively. Cytological experiments has shown that NPC2 overexpression inhibited GBM cells proliferation and migration, indicating its important role in GBM progression. This is the first investigation into the prognostic value of NPC2 interact with GBM. The potential molecular factor NPC2 have been identified as a prognostic biomarker for GBM.