Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41613945›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2025

Integrative analysis of EMT-driving genes identifies a prognostic signature and GJB2 as a potential biomarker in glioblastoma.

Xiao-Fei Liu, Bing Wang, Min Zhou, Duo Gong, Jia-Hui Zhang, Jun-Yan He, Wen-Tao Xiao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Xiao-Fei LiuDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Bing WangDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Min ZhouDepartment of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Duo GongKey Laboratory for Arteriosclerology of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Jia-Hui ZhangHealth Check Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Jun-Yan HeDepartment of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
Wen-Tao XiaoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive malignancy of the central nervous system characterized by rapid progression, therapeutic resistance, and poor prognosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to tumor plasticity and immune remodeling in GBM. Identification of EMT-driving genes (EDGs) with prognostic and therapeutic relevance may provide insights into disease progression and precision management. This study aimed to systematically identify prognostic EDGs and to construct a robust EMT-based prognostic model for GBM. Methods: Univariate Cox regression analyses were performed across five GBM cohorts (TCGA, CGGA-693, CGGA-325, GSE83300, and GSE74187) to rank genes according to hazard ratios, followed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), which identified EMT as the pathway most strongly associated with adverse survival. EMT-related genes from MSigDB and dbEMT2.0 were intersected with TCGA-derived prognostic genes to obtain 145 EDGs. An EMT-related prognostic signature was generated using LASSO Cox regression and validated in independent datasets. Functional analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and GSEA, elucidated biological processes associated with the risk signature. Immune infiltration analyses (ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT) and drug sensitivity analyses characterized the tumor microenvironment and therapeutic response. Random Forest analysis and Results: A total of 145 EDGs were identified by integrating survival-associated genes from TCGA with EMT-related genes from MSigDB and dbEMT2.0. An EMT-related prognostic signature was developed and validated across five GBM cohorts. The risk score stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups with significantly different survival outcomes and remained an independent prognostic factor in multivariate Cox analyses. A nomogram integrating the risk score with age, IDH mutation status, and MGMT promoter methylation demonstrated strong predictive performance. Immune profiling revealed that the high-risk group exhibited an "immune-inflamed yet immunosuppressed" phenotype characterized by elevated macrophage and regulatory T-cell infiltration. Drug sensitivity analyses suggested that high-risk GBM may respond better to paclitaxel and tamoxifen. Random Forest modeling and Conclusion: Our findings provide a clinically applicable EMT-based prognostic framework that links transcriptional plasticity to patient outcomes in GBM and identify GJB2 as a promising therapeutic target.

Indexed as

EMT-driving genesepithelial-mesenchymal transitionGJB2glioblastomaprognostic signaturetumor immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41613945
PMCPMC12847059

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.