• Reduced GLT8D2 Expression Predicts Survival and Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
  • Matin Bohlooli,1 Seyed Morteza Javadi Rad,2,*
    1. MS student, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran. matin.bohlooli.ui@gmail.com
    2. Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, 81746-73441, Isfahan, Iran. javadirad@yahoo.com.


  • Introduction: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a prevalent form of thyroid malignancy. The advancement of PTC is influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Despite extensive research on genes associated with PTC, the exact genetic foundation of PTC remains insufficiently clarified. The aim of our study was to identify genes associated with the prognosis of PTC.
  • Methods: An analysis was conducted using the GSE104005 dataset, which includes 19 PTC tissues and 5 normal tissues next to PTC tumors. The evaluation of data quality required the application of log2 transformation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). A differential expression analysis was performed using the Limma software. Genes with logFC values over 1.2 and adjusted p values below 0.05 were classified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Ten samples of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and ten adjacent normal tissues were obtained post-thyroidectomy. We will do total RNA extraction, complementary DNA synthesis, and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The relative expressions will be examined using REST2009 analysis software. An analysis employing RNAseq data was conducted to examine survival, stage, and nodal metastases.
  • Results: The analysis of microarray data revealed many genes exhibiting differential expression. One of the differentially expressed genes was Glycosyltransferase 8 Domain Containing 2 (GLT8D2), with a log fold change of -2.21 and an adjusted p-value of 0.008. Increased GLT8D2 expression, in contrast to low or moderate expression, was substantially correlated with diminished patient survival probability (p-value of 0.026). The expression of GLT8D2 was evaluated at different biological stages, showing a median expression level of 4.721 in Stage 2 and 5.599 in Stage 4. Our investigation revealed that GLT8D2 expression in Stages 2 and 4 is significantly associated with increased aggression (P-value of 7.34E-03). The median expression level of GLT8D2 in tumors without regional lymph node infiltration (N0) was 5.597, but it was 3.837 in tumors with axillary lymph node metastases (N1). Analyses revealed a statistically significant disparity in GLT8D2 expression between N0 and N1 tumors (p-value of 2.85E-02). No statistically significant difference in GLT8D2 expression was observed between male and female patients.
  • Conclusion: The expression of the GLT8D2 gene was significantly reduced in PTC compared to the neighboring normal tissues. The reduced expression of GLT8D2 was associated with improved patient survival and increased metastasis.
  • Keywords: GLT8D2, PTC, qPCR, microarray