Subtype-specific prognostic impact of TNIK in medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor and comprises molecularly and clinically distinct subgroups with highly variable outcomes. While survival rates exceed 80% in some subgroups, others remain associated with substantially poorer prognosis and increased risk of relapse. Current treatment includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, which can result in significant long-term treatment-related morbidity. These challenges highlight the need to identify novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets to improve risk stratification and enable more tailored treatment approaches. The Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK) is a regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and has been implicated in the progression of several cancers, but its role in MB remains unclear.

TNIK expression was evaluated using publicly available MB transcriptomic datasets, mass spectrometry based proteomic data, and immunohistochemical analysis of a MB tissue microarray. Associations between TNIK expression, molecular subgroups, overall survival, and established prognostic markers were assessed.

TNIK expression was significantly enriched in Group 3 and Group 4 MBs compared to WNT and SHH subgroups. Survival analyses demonstrated distinct, subgroup-specific prognostic effects: high TNIK expression predicted inferior overall survival in Group 4, while in SHH tumors high TNIK expression levels were associated with improved outcome. These observations were supported by proteomic profiling.

These findings indicate a subgroup-specific role for TNIK in MB biology and suggest its potential utility as a prognostic biomarker, particularly in Group 4 MBs.