AUTHOR=Alaseem Ali M. , Aldali Jehad A. , Alasiri Glowi , Alhujaily Muhanad , AlHussaini Khalid I. , AlKhamees Osama A. 

TITLE=Glyoxalase 1 gene expression in various types of cancer cells immunopathology: a pan-cancer analysis study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1610886

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2025.1610886

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Metabolic reprogramming within the tumor microenvironment significantly affects cancer progression by shifting toward aerobic glycolysis and lactate production, while also supporting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. The glyoxalase system, comprising GLO-1 and GLO-2, maintains metabolic homeostasis by neutralizing methylglyoxal (MG) byproducts. GLO-1 protects cells from damage by detoxifying MG via glutathione. In the curent study, pan-cancer analysis revealed elevated GLO-1 mRNA levels across various malignancies, exhibiting variable prognostic implications on patient survival: reduced survival in ACC, MESO, and SARC, and enhanced survival in KIRC and LIHC. GLO-1 activity is regulated by transcriptional and post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation, NO-mediated modification, and glutathionylation. The role of GLO-1 in survival and disease course differs depending on the specific cancer. GLO-1 levels were associated with immunotherapy markers like microsatellite instability (MSI) and tumor mutational burden (TMB), with positive correlations between GLO-1 and MSI in UCEC, TGCT, and STAD, and between GLO-1 and TMB in LUAD, UCEC, LIHC, MESO, SKCM, and READ. In terms of immune cell presence, GLO-1 was associated with increased endothelial and neutrophil cells, decreased T and B cell populations, and increased activated CD4 T cells, memory B cells, and type 2 helper T cells. In summary, our study highlights GLO-1 as a significant biomarker across multiple cancers that plays a key role in cancer progression, immune modulation, and therapeutic response.