TMBIM4 acts as a novel prognostic biomarker for glioblastoma and is associated with temozolomide chemoresistance
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system in adults. Screening and identification of prognostic biomarkers for GBM are conducive to early diagnosis and clinical treatment. TMBIM4 has been confirmed to be closely associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas its role in GBM patients remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the expression level, prognostic value and biological function of TMBIM4 in GBM. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis based on public databases was performed to assess the expression of TMBIM4 in GBM and non-tumor brain tissues (NBT). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were applied to determine the prognostic value of TMBIM4 in GBM and its correlation with temozolomide (TMZ) resistance. R software was used to screen TMBIM4-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and perform functional enrichment analysis, aiming to explore the potential biological functions and immune relevance of TMBIM4 in GBM. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and colony formation assays were adopted to investigate the effect of TMBIM4 expression on cell proliferation. Transwell assays and immunofluorescence experiments were used to analyze the impacts of TMBIM4 on cell migration and invasion. Results: Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the expression level of TMBIM4 was significantly higher in GBM than in NBT, and its high expression was correlated with the malignant progression of glioma. Subsequent survival analysis confirmed that TMBIM4 was associated with poor prognosis and TMZ resistance in GBM patients. Gene functional enrichment analysis indicated that TMBIM4 expression was linked to immune responses and the infiltration of multiple immune cells, including M2 macrophages. Co-culture experiments showed that TMBIM4 knockdown suppressed the migration of THP-1-derived M2 macrophages. In addition, knockdown of TMBIM4 markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of GBM cells. Conclusions: Our study identified TMBIM4 as a prognostic biomarker for GBM and a predictive biomarker for TMZ chemotherapeutic response by combining bioinformatics analysis with experimental validation. These results advance our understanding of GBM pathogenesis and offer potential implications for the formulation of more effective clinical treatment strategies.
Source: Translational Cancer Research
Authors: Jianeng Pu, Tianhua Li, Shuai Zhou, Hu Zhou
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223909530