High PYGL Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in Human Gliomas

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• The glycogen degradation-related gene PYGL is upregulated in various tumors.
• Its role in glioma prognosis remains to be fully elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictive value of high PYGL expression in glioma patients.
• To analyze PYGL's association with glioma malignancy and prognosis using bioinformatics and single-cell data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized TCGA transcriptome data (595 patients) and GEO single-cell RNA sequencing data (7,930 GBM cells).
• Performed differential expression analysis, overall survival (OS) analysis, Cox regression, ROC analysis, C-index calculation, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA).
• Analyzed PYGL expression in different cell types within glioma tissues.

Main Results:

• PYGL expression positively correlates with glioma malignancy.
• High PYGL expression is an independent predictor of poor glioma prognosis (OS analysis, Cox regression, p < 0.05).
• GSEA revealed enrichment of pathways like MTORC1 signaling and glycolysis in high PYGL tumors; single-cell analysis identified PYGL upregulation in TAMs and malignant cells.

Conclusions:

• High PYGL expression serves as an independent prognostic biomarker for glioma patients.
• PYGL's upregulation in malignant cells and TAMs suggests a role in glioma progression mechanisms.