Glycolysis- and immune-related novel prognostic biomarkers of Ewing's sarcoma: glucuronic acid epimerase and triosephosphate isomerase 1

Aging (Albany NY). 2021 Jul 7;13(13):17516-17535. doi: 10.18632/aging.203242. Epub 2021 Jul 7.

Abstract

Introduction: Owing to the poor prognosis of Ewing's sarcoma, reliable prognostic biomarkers are highly warranted for clinical diagnosis of the disease.

Materials and methods: A combination of the weighted correlation network analysis and differentially expression analysis was used for initial screening; glycolysis-related genes were extracted and subjected to univariate Cox, LASSO regression, and multivariate Cox analyses to construct prognostic models. The immune cell composition of each sample was analysed using CIBERSORT software. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed for assessing the differential expression of modelled genes in Ewing's sarcoma and paraneoplastic tissues.

Results: A logistic regression model constructed for the prognosis of Ewing's sarcoma exhibited that the patient survival rate in the high-risk group is much lower than in the low-risk group. CIBERSORT analysis exhibited a strong correlation of Ewing's sarcoma with naïve B cells, CD8+ T cells, activated NK cells, and M0 macrophages (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the study findings.

Conclusions: GLCE and TPI1 can be used as prognostic biomarkers to predict the prognosis of Ewing's sarcoma, and a close association of Ewing's sarcoma with naïve B cells, CD8+ T cells, activated NK cells, and M0 macrophages provides a novel approach to the disease immunotherapy.

Keywords: Ewing's sarcoma; WGCNA; glycolysis; immune infiltration; immunohistochemistry.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases / genetics*
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases / immunology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Glycolysis / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Models, Biological
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / pathology
  • Prognosis
  • Risk Assessment
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / genetics*
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / immunology*
  • Survival Analysis
  • Triose-Phosphate Isomerase / genetics*
  • Triose-Phosphate Isomerase / immunology*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Carbohydrate Epimerases
  • GLCE protein, human
  • Triose-Phosphate Isomerase