ELK3: A New Molecular Marker for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Glioma

Abstract

ETS transcription factor ELK3 <i>(ELK3)</i>, a novel oncogene, affects pathological processes and progression of many cancers in human tissues. However, it remains unclear whether <i>ELK3</i>, as a key gene, affects the pathological process of gliomas and the prognosis of patients with gliomas. This study aimed to comprehensively and systematically reveal the correlation between <i>ELK3</i> and the malignant progression of gliomas by analyzing clinical sample information stored in multiple databases. We revealed the putative mechanism of <i>ELK3</i> involvement in malignant gliomas progression and identified a new and efficient biomarker for glioma diagnosis and targeted therapy. Based on the sample data from multiple databases and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the abnormally high expression of <i>ELK3</i> in gliomas was confirmed. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses demonstrated that a high <i>ELK3</i> expression was markedly associated with low patient survival and served as an independent biomarker of gliomas. Wilcox and Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed that expression of <i>ELK3</i> was positively correlated with several clinical characteristics of patients with gliomas, such as age, WHO classification, and recurrence. Moreover, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), immunofluorescence, and wound healing assays confirmed that <i>ELK3</i> overexpression markedly promoted the proliferation and migration of glioma cells. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and western blotting confirmed that overexpression of <i>ELK3</i> regulated the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and upregulate the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and phosphorylated STAT3 (P-STAT3) to promote the malignant transition of gliomas. Therefore, <i>ELK3</i> may serve as an efficient biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of gliomas and it can also be used as a therapeutic target to improve the poor prognosis of patients with gliomas.