Multi-omics analysis reveals extracellular matrix influences glioma progression via remodeling the immune microenvironment

The complex interaction between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the tumor microenvironment (TME) promotes the immune evasion of glioma cells. This study aims to preliminarily elucidate the impact of ECM on the remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment through multi-omics approaches. We revealed the high heterogeneity of the TME in tumor tissues using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Communication analysis further indicated complex interactions between epithelial cells and fibroblasts, suggesting potential mechanisms that promote tissue remodeling and tumor invasion. Survival data from multiple databases of glioma patients indicated that high expression of ECM genes is associated with poor prognosis. Subsequently, we conducted cluster analysis on the samples (clust1 and clust2), which revealed pronounced differences in the enrichment levels of immune cells. Predictive model screening identified FS_StepCox_both | GBM as the optimal predictor for patient survival, effectively forecasting the survival rate of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). In addition, the Circular Bar Chart indicated that the RiskScore was the most reliable predictive indicator. By integrating data, we constructed a ligand-receptor-based signature (LRS) model; the LRS_High group exhibited active angiogenesis and a complex immune microenvironment. Notably, GZMB positively correlated with immune scores, promoting anti-tumor immunity via CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T cells. In summary, our study preliminarily suggests that ECM promotes tumor cell immune evasion by remodeling the immune microenvironment, while GZMB may counteract this effect.