Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Glioblastoma Multiforme.

in Microorganisms by Zihao Yuan, Yuntao Yang, Ningyan Zhang, Claudio Soto, Xiaoqian Jiang, Zhiqiang An, Wenjin Jim Zheng

TLDR

  • The study looked at the differences in how certain parts of the brain work between people with a type of brain tumor called glioblastoma and healthy people. They found that some parts of the brain work differently in people with glioblastoma, and these differences could be used to help treat the disease. However, the study has some limitations and more research needs to be done to confirm these findings.

Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and deadly brain tumor. It is primarily diagnosed in the elderly and has a 5-year survival rate of less than 6% even with the most aggressive therapies. The lack of biomarkers has made the development of immunotherapy for GBM challenging. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are a group of viruses with long terminal repeat (LTR) elements, which are believed to be relics from ancient viral infections. Recent studies have found that those repetitive elements play important roles in regulating various biological processes. The differentially expressed LTR elements from HERVs are potential biomarkers for immunotherapy to treat GBM. However, the understanding of the LTR element expression in GBM is greatly lacking. We obtained 1077.4 GB of sequencing data from public databases. These data were generated from 111 GBM tissue studies, 30 GBM cell lines studies, and 45 normal brain tissues studies. We analyzed repetitive elements that were differentially expressed in GBM and normal brain samples. We found that 48 LTR elements were differentially expressed (-value < 0.05) between GBM and normal brain tissues, of which 46 were HERV elements. Among these 46 elements, 34 significantly changed HERVs belong to the ERV1 superfamily. Furthermore, 43 out of the 46 differentially expressed HERV elements were upregulated. Our results indicate significant differential expression of many HERV LTR elements in GBM and normal brain tissues. Expression levels of these elements could be developed as biomarkers for GBM treatments.

Overview

  • The study aims to investigate the differential expression of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and normal brain tissues. The hypothesis being tested is that HERV LTR elements are potential biomarkers for immunotherapy to treat GBM. The methodology used for the experiment includes analyzing repetitive elements that are differentially expressed in GBM and normal brain samples using public sequencing data from 111 GBM tissue studies, 30 GBM cell lines studies, and 45 normal brain tissues studies. The primary objective of the study is to identify HERV LTR elements that are differentially expressed in GBM and normal brain tissues and to determine their potential as biomarkers for GBM treatments.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study found that 48 LTR elements were differentially expressed (-value < 0.05) between GBM and normal brain tissues, of which 46 were HERV elements. Among these 46 elements, 34 significantly changed HERVs belong to the ERV1 superfamily. Furthermore, 43 out of the 46 differentially expressed HERV elements were upregulated. These findings suggest that HERV LTR elements are significantly differentially expressed in GBM and normal brain tissues, and that expression levels of these elements could be developed as biomarkers for GBM treatments.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study's findings have significant implications for the development of immunotherapy for GBM, as HERV LTR elements could be used as potential biomarkers for GBM treatments. However, the study has limitations, such as the small sample size and the need for further validation of the results. Future research directions could include larger sample sizes, validation of the results using independent datasets, and the development of targeted therapies based on the identified HERV LTR elements.
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