Proteogenomic analysis of pediatric and AYA high-grade glioma reveals age-dependent biology, female-male differences, and kinase targets.

Tignor, Nicole L; Koptyra, Mateusz; Chowdhury, Shrabanti; Petralia, Francesca; Gritsenko, Marina A; Ma, Weiping; Zhu, Yuankun; Marino, Giacomo B et al. · Cell Rep Med · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) in children and adolescents and young adults (AYA) exhibit distinct biology across the neurodevelopmental spectrum. To dissect tumor-intrinsic molecular characteristics independent of developmental variation, we perform comprehensive proteogenomic analyses of tumors from 112 HGG patients aged 0-40 years. Our multi-omics analysis identifies two AYA subgroups-adolescents (aged 15-26 years) and young adults (aged 26-40 years)-with distinct molecular profiles and survival outcomes. Tumor-normal comparisons and survival modeling highlight roles of oxidative phosphorylation and neuronal system biology in glioma progression. Causal network analysis and cell line studies provide a rationale for personalized therapies targeting candidate kinases, such as CDK8. Survival modeling, clustering, and immune-landscape analyses identify proteins, post-translational modifications, and immune signatures linked to outcomes and reveal clinically relevant differences between male and female patients.