Gal-1 expression analysis in the GLIOCAT multicenter study: Role as a prognostic factor and an immune-suppressive biomarker

Martínez Bosch, Neus; Alameda Quitllet, Francisco; Arumí Uría, Montserrat; Bellosillo Paricio, Beatriz; Menéndez, Silvia; Esteve-Codina, Anna; Martínez-García, Maria; Navarro Medrano, Pilar

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cells12060843

Gal-1 expression analysis in the GLIOCAT multicenter study: Role as a prognostic factor and an immune-suppressive biomarker

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Martínez-Bosch N, Vilariño N, Alameda F, Mojal S, Arumí-Uria M, Carrato C, et al. Gal-1 expression analysis in the GLIOCAT multicenter study: Role as a prognostic factor and an immune-suppressive biomarker. Cells. 2023 Mar 8;12(6):843. DOI: 10.3390/cells12060843

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent primary malignant brain tumor and has a dismal prognosis. Unfortunately, despite the recent revolution of immune checkpoint inhibitors in many solid tumors, these have not shown a benefit in overall survival in GBM patients. Therefore, new potential treatment targets as well as diagnostic, prognostic, and/or predictive biomarkers are needed to improve outcomes in this population. The β-galactoside binding protein Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a protein with a wide range of pro-tumor functions such as proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune suppression. Here, we evaluated Gal-1 expression by immunohistochemistry in a homogenously treated cohort of GBM (the GLIOCAT project) and correlated its expression with clinical and molecular data. We observed that Gal-1 is a negative prognostic factor in GBM. Interestingly, we observed higher levels of Gal-1 expression in the mesenchymal/classical subtypes compared to the less aggressive proneural subtype. We also observed a Gal-1 expression correlation with immune suppressive signatures of CD4 T-cells and macrophages, as well as with several GBM established biomarkers, including SHC1, PD-L1, PAX2, MEOX2, YKL-40, TCIRG1, YWHAG, OLIG2, SOX2, Ki-67, and SOX11. Moreover, Gal-1 levels were significantly lower in grade 4 IDH-1 mutant astrocytomas, which have a better prognosis. Our results confirm the role of Gal-1 as a prognostic factor and also suggest its value as an immune-suppressive biomarker in GBM.