A clinically applicable connectivity signature for glioblastoma includes the tumor network driver CHI3L1.
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Abstract | Tumor microtubes (TMs) connect glioma cells to a network with considerable relevance for tumor progression and therapy resistance. However, the determination of TM-interconnectivity in individual tumors is challenging and the impact on patient survival unresolved. Here, we establish a connectivity signature from single-cell RNA-sequenced (scRNA-Seq) xenografted primary glioblastoma (GB) cells using a dye uptake methodology, and validate it with recording of cellular calcium epochs and clinical correlations. Astrocyte-like and mesenchymal-like GB cells have the highest connectivity signature scores in scRNA-sequenced patient-derived xenografts and patient samples. In large GB cohorts, TM-network connectivity correlates with the mesenchymal subtype and dismal patient survival. CHI3L1 gene expression serves as a robust molecular marker of connectivity and functionally influences TM networks. The connectivity signature allows insights into brain tumor biology, provides a proof-of-principle that tumor cell TM-connectivity is relevant for patients' prognosis, and serves as a robust prognostic biomarker. |
Year of Publication | 2024
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Journal | Nature communications
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Volume | 15
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Issue | 1
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Pages | 968
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Date Published | 02/2024
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ISSN | 2041-1723
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DOI | 10.1038/s41467-024-45067-8
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PubMed ID | 38320988
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