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Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and Associated Immune Cell Types In South African Gallbladder Cancer Patients

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options, particularly in underrepresented populations, including South Africa. Understanding the molecular landscape of GBC may provide novel insights into its pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets. Molecular changes are known to be associated with GBC, however, there is a paucity of this information especially in African populations. Furthermore, within the tumour microenvironment, different immune cells contribute to GBC progression. We investigated gene expression patterns in GBC tumours and their association with different immune cells in a cohort of South African patients. Methods: RNA sequencing was conducted on 2 normal and 8 gallbladder cancer tissues from South African patients (Ethics: M160640) to identify differentially expressed genes. Bioinformatics tools were used for pathway analysis, while immune cell quantification was performed using the quanTIseq software and presented as median [IQR]. Verification studies were further carried out using real-time PCR on an independent cohort comprising 7 gallstone samples and 26 gallbladder tumour samples. Results: A total of 65 genes were found to be significantly differentially expressed between the gallbladder tumours and gallstone controls. We also identified 37 upregulated and 28 downregulated genes in this cohort. Among the most upregulated genes, MUC16 was confirmed to be significantly overexpressed in tumours. Normal tissues exhibited a significantly higher proportion of dysregulated genes associated with B cells (17.132 [14.866–18.483], p<0.0001) and M1 macrophages (18.943 [1.097–36.790], p<0.0001) compared to tumours. In contrast, tumours showed a greater association with dysregulated genes linked to regulatory T cells (Tregs) (14.373 [9.696–20.162]) relative to normal tissues. Pathway analysis further revealed the upregulation of defective GALNT12, defective GALNT3, defective C1GALT1C1 and termination of O-glycan biosynthesis, highlighting key mechanisms potentially involved in tumour progression. Conclusion: The study has shown the dysregulation of key genes in South African gallbladder cancer patients. Specifically, MUC16 was verified to be significantly elevated in tumour samples. Furthermore, the association of these dysregulated genes with key immune cells in this patient group may further highlight their roles in dysfunctional immune processes linked with tumourigenesis.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE308395 | GEO | 2025/12/04

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a lethal cancer with a poor prognosis. The lack of specific and sensitive biomarkers results in delayed diagnosis with most patients presenting at late stages of the disease. Furthermore, there is little known about the molecular mechanisms associated with GBC, especially in patients of African ancestry. This study aimed to determine dysregulated proteins in South African GBC patients to identify potential mechanisms of the disease progression and plausible biomarkers. Following ethics approval, tissues (27 GBC, 13 Gall stone disease, and 5 Normal tissues) and blood plasma (53 GBC and 73 Benign biliary pathology) were obtained from consenting patients. Protein extraction was performed on all tissues and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for proteomic profiling. A project-specific spectral library was built using the Pulsar search algorithm. Principal component and Spearman’s rank correlation analyses were performed using PAST (V4.07b). Pathway and Network analyses were conducted using REACTOME v3.7 and stringAPP (v1.7.0), respectively. Levels of the liver function tests such as total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, ALP, GGT, and AST were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in patients with GBC compared to other benign pathologies including gallstone disease. In the tissue sample comparisons, there were 63 and 199 dysregulated proteins in GBC compared to normal and gallstone, respectively. In the plasma comparison, there were 34 altered proteins in GBC compared to the benign biliary pathology group. Pathway analysis showed that the dysregulated proteins in GBC patients were enriched in pathways involved in smooth muscle contraction, metabolism, ECM organization, and integrin cell surface interactions. The identified proteins help in understanding GBC molecular mechanisms in our patient group. Furthermore, the alteration of specific proteins in both tissue and protein samples suggests their potential utility as biomarkers of GBC in this sample cohort

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Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and Associated Immune Cell Types In South African Gallbladder Cancer Patients

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