High PGD expression as a potential prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in low-grade gliomas

Abstract

Abstract Background PGD plays a pivotal role in the pentose phosphate pathway, which is a branch of glycolytic cascade. Overexpressed PGD has been reported in diverse human cancers. However, the correlations of PGD with prognosis and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in low-grade gliomas (LGGs) remain unclear. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis using the data downloaded from the TCGA-LGG cohort, and jointly analyzed with online databases including GEPIA, UALCAN, HPA, LinkedOmics, and TIMER2.0. Besides, the biological functions of PGD in LGG were investigated through in vitro experiments. Results The results revealed that in LGG tissues PGD was overexpressed and correlated with poor outcomes and survival. In addition, PGD expression showed significant association with a variety of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and was positively correlated with the expression of various immune cell markers including PD-1 in LGG. In vitro experiments demonstrated that PGD expression was significantly greater in Hs683 cells compared to normal cells; we further found that knockdown of PGD in Hs683 cells markedly suppressed growth, invasion, and migration. Conclusion Our findings suggest that PGD is a promising independent prognostic and predictive immunotherapeutic biomarker. The potential mechanism and function of PGD in LGG deserve further research.