Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. Despite multidisciplinary treatment approaches, the survival rates for patients with malignant glioma have only improved marginally, and few prognostic biomarkers have been identified. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) is a crucial regulator of cancer metabolism, playing a vital role in cancer cell adaptation to fluctuating energy demands. In this study, the clinicopathological roles of PGC-1 alpha in gliomas were evaluated. Employing immunohistochemistry, cell culture, siRNA transfection, cell viability assays, western blot analyses, and in vitro and in vivo invasion and migration assays, we explored the functions of PGC-1 alpha in glioma progression. High PGC-1 alpha expression was significantly associated with an advanced pathological stage in patients with glioma and with poorer overall survival. The downregulation of PGC-1 alpha inhibited glioma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and altered the expression of oncogenic markers. These results conclusively demonstrated that PGC-1 alpha plays a critical role in maintaining the malignant phenotype of glioma cells and indicated that targeting PGC-1 alpha could be an effective strategy to curb glioma progression and improve patient survival outcomes.
Date:
2024-04-29
Relation:
Biomedicines. 2024 Apr 29;12(5):Article number 979.
