Computational Screening of Secretory Proteins With Brain-Specific Expression in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a widely spread and fatal primary brain tumor with an increased risk of relapse in spite of aggressive treatment. The current procedures for GBM diagnosis include invasive procedures i.e. resection or biopsy to acquire tumor mass. Implementation of negligibly invasive tests as potential diagnostic technique and biofluid-based monitoring of GBM emphases on discovering biomarkers in CSF and blood. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive in silico analysis to identify potential circulating biomarkers for GBM. We screened 2145 brain-specific proteins through six gene and protein databases. The screened proteins were filtered using a channel of five tools to predict the secretory proteins. The expression profile of the secreted proteins was verified and searched in literature for their relationship with GBM, keeping special emphasis on secretome proteome. The study identified nine secretory proteins i.e. OPCML, NPTX1, LGI1, CNTN2, LY6H, SLIT1, CREG2, GDF1 and SERPINI1. The results indicate that these secretory proteins with brain-specific expression are associated with several cellular and molecular pathways that might be linked with GBM pathology. We propose that these secretory proteins can serve as circulating biomarker signatures of GBM and will facilitate the development of minimally invasive diagnostic methods and novel therapeutic interventions for GBM.