EFNB1 drives glioma progression and shapes the immune microenvironment: a potential prognostic biomarker

Gliomas, a heterogeneous group of tumors affecting the brain and spinal cord, present a significant clinical challenge. Ephrin B1 (EFNB1) has been implicated in various malignancies. However, its role in gliomas remained poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to elucidate the connection between EFNB1 and the progression of glioma. A retrospective RNA-seq analysis was conducted by utilizing the data from glioma patients in the TCGA and CGGA databases. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate regression models were employed to evaluate the prognostic significance of EFNB1. RT-PCR was used to quantify EFNB1 expression in glioma tissues and cell lines. Meanwhile, in vitro assays were carried out to assess its functional roles in glioma cells. Our findings demonstrated that EFNB1 expression was significantly elevated in gliomas and other cancers. Moreover, high EFNB1 expression was closely correlated with advanced clinical stages and poor prognosis. Notably, multivariate analysis identified EFNB1 as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. KEGG pathway analysis suggested that EFNB1 was involved in critical biological processes, including the cell cycle, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and Salmonella infection. Furthermore, EFNB1 expression was associated with immune cell infiltration, particularly Th2 cells, macrophages, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. In glioma cells, EFNB1 expression was markedly increased. Consequently, functional experiments demonstrated that EFNB1 knockdown inhibited glioma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. These results highlighted EFNB1 as a novel independent prognostic biomarker and suggest its potential role in shaping the immunological microenvironment of gliomas.