Urinary biomarker discovery in gliomas using mass spectrometry-based clinical proteomics

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumors and have a poor prognosis. Early detection of gliomas is crucial to improve patient outcomes. Urine accumulates systematic body changes and thus serves as an excellent early biomarker source.

At the biomarker discovery phase, we performed a self-controlled proteomics analysis by comparing urine samples collected from five glioma patients at the time of tumor diagnosis and after surgical removal of the tumor. At the biomarker validation phase, we further validated some promising proteins using parallel reaction monitoring (PRM)-based targeted proteomics in another cohort, including glioma, meningioma, and moyamoya disease patients as well as healthy controls.

Using label-free proteome quantitation (LFQ), we identified twenty-seven urinary proteins that were significantly changed after tumor resection, many of which have been previously associated with gliomas. The functions of these proteins were significantly enriched in the autophagy and angiogenesis, which are associated with glioma development. After targeted proteomics validation, we identified a biomarker panel (AACT, TSP4, MDHM, CALR, LEG1, and AHSG) with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.958 for the detection of gliomas. Interestingly, AACT, LEG1, and AHSG are also potential cerebrospinal fluid or blood biomarkers of gliomas.

Using LFQ and PRM proteome quantification, we identified candidate urinary protein biomarkers with the potential to detect gliomas. This study will also provide clues for future biomarker studies involving brain diseases.