RPP30, a transcriptional regulator, is a potential pathogenic factor in glioblastoma

Background: Old age has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for GBM, but the underlying biological mechanism behind this association is still unclear. We designed this study with the goal of determining a mechanistic explanation for the link between age and pathogenesis in GBM. Methods: In total, we enrolled transcriptome data from 616 primary GBM samples and 41 non-tumor brain samples in this study. Transcriptome data and clinical information were obtained from the CGGA, TCGA, and GSE53890 databases. Gene Set Variation Analysis and Gene Ontology analyses were the primary analytical methods used in this study. All statistical analyses were performed using R. Findings: We found that the expression of RPP30, an independent prognostic factor in GBM, was negatively correlated with age in both tumor and non-tumor brain samples. However, the post-transcriptional modifications carried out by RPP30 were different in primary GBM and non-tumor brain samples. RPP30 affected protein expression of cancer pathways by performing RNA modifications. Further, we found that RPP30 was related to drug metabolism pathways important in GBM. Interpretation: The decreased expression of RPP30 in older patients might be a pathogenic factor for GBM. Funding Statement: This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81672479, 81802994), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)/Research Grants Council (RGC) Joint Research Scheme (81761168038), Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals’ Mission Plan (SML20180501). Declaration of Interests: No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by Beijing Tiantan Hospital institutional review board (IRB). All patients provided written informed consent for the publication of all associated data in this study.