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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbes and Innate Immunity
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1474492
This article is part of the Research Topic RNA Regulation Mechanisms in Microbial-Host Interactions View all articles

Impact of endogenous viral elements on glioma clinical phenotypes by inducing OCT4 in the host

Provisionally accepted
Shirong Li Shirong Li 1Shuai He Shuai He 1Haoyu Xue Haoyu Xue 2*Yi He Yi He 3*
  • 1 West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Dongguan First Hospital affiliated to Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, China
  • 3 Department of Sport Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are integrated viral sequences within the host genome, impacting gene regulation and tumor biology. EVEs regulate key transcription factors in glioma development and progression are still limited. In this study, we explore the role of EVEs in glioblastoma (GBM) progression by focusing on OCT4, a critical transcription factor activated by these elements. Using comprehensive analyses from the CancerHERVdb and HervD Atlas databases, we identified OCT4 as a pivotal gene activated by EVEs in GBM. Our examination of 273 GBM patient samples from the TCGA database revealed that OCT4 expression correlates with mutation frequencies in key glioma-associated genes. High OCT4 levels were also linked to poorer patient prognosis, higher tumor grades, and advanced age, highlighting OCT4 roles in GBM malignancy. Additionally, we observed that glioblastoma stem cells exhibit upregulated OCT4 and SOX2 expression, and OCT4 and SOX2 expression showed positive correlation between in GBM patients. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular underpinnings of glioma and paves the way for innovative approaches to treatment.

    Keywords: Endogenous viral elements, RNA, Transcription Factors, oct4, Glioblastoma, Glioblastoma stem cells

    Received: 01 Aug 2024; Accepted: 19 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, He, Xue and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Haoyu Xue, Dongguan First Hospital affiliated to Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, China
    Yi He, Department of Sport Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.