Metabotropic glutamate receptors type 3 and 5 feature the “NeuroTransmitter-type” of glioblastoma: a bioinformatic approach

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) represents an aggressive and common tumor of the central nervous system. The prognosis of GBM is poor, and despite a refined genetic and molecular characterization, pharmacological treatment is largely suboptimal.Objective Contribute to defining a therapeutic line in GBM targeting the mGlu3 receptor in line with the principles of precision medicine.Methods Here, we performed a computational analysis focused on the expression of type 3 and 5 metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes (mGlu3 and mGlu5, respectively) in high- and low-grade gliomas.Results The analysis allowed the identification of a particular high-grade glioma type, characterized by a high expression level of both receptor subtypes and by other markers of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. This so-called neurotransmitter-GBM (NT-GBM) also shows a distinct immunological, metabolic, and vascularization gene signature.Conclusion Our findings might lay the groundwork for a targeted therapy to be specifically applied to this putative novel type of GBM.