Pan-cancer analysis identifies olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 as a potential biomarker for glioma

Sep 21, 2026

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Background. Human olfactory receptors (ORs) account for about 60% of all human G protein-coupled receptors and are implicated in tumor biology beyond olfaction. Methods. Using public databases including HPA, TCGA, GEO, GTEx, TIMER2, TISDB, UALCAN, GEPIA2, and GSCA, the study assessed olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 (OR7A5) across cancers; CGGA supported functional analyses of LGG and GBM, with molecular and cellular experiments validating glioma expression and function. Results. OR7A5 showed elevated expression in subsets of tumors, linked to immune checkpoint expression, immune infiltration, glioma prognosis, 1p/19p co-deletion, and wild-type IDH. In vitro knockdown reduced glioma proliferation and lipid metabolism-related proteins. Conclusion. OR7A5 emerges as a novel glioma biomarker and potential therapeutic target.

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Abstract

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Submitted 4 February 2024 Accepted 4 June 2024 Published 10 July 2024 Corresponding author Xuchen Qi, [qixuchen@zju.edu.cn](qixuchen@zju.edu.cn)[ ](qixuchen@zju.edu.cn)Academic editor Jiaqi Liang Additional Information and Declarations can be found on page 24 DOI 10.7717/peerj.17631 Copyright 2024 Bao et al. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 OPEN ACCESS Pan-cancer analysis identifies olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 as a potential biomarker for glioma Yanqiu Bao1 ,* , Ziqi Tang2 ,* , Renli Chen3 , Xuebin Yu3 and Xuchen Qi4 ,5 1 Department of Medical Research Center, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China 2 Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3 Department of Neurosurgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China 4 Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 5 Department of Neurosurgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China * These authors contributed equally to this work. ABSTRACT Background. Human olfactory receptors (ORs) account for approximately 60% of all human G protein-coupled receptors. The functions of ORs extend beyond olfactory perception and have garnered significant attention in tumor biology. However, a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of ORs in human cancers is lacking. Methods. Using data from public databases, such as HPA, TCGA, GEO, GTEx, TIMER2, TISDB, UALCAN, GEPIA2, and GSCA, this study investigated the role of olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 (OR7A5) in various cancers. Functional analysis of OR7A5 in LGG and GBM was performed using the CGGA database. Molecular and cellular experiments were performed to validate the expression and biological function of OR7A5 in gliomas. Results. The results revealed heightened OR7A5 expression in certain tumors, correlating with the expression levels of immune checkpoints and immune infiltration. In patients with gliomas, the expression levels of OR7A5 were closely associated with adverse prognosis, 1p/19p co-deletion status, and wild-type IDH status. Finally, in vitro experiments confirmed the inhibitory effect of OR7A5 knockdown on the proliferative capacity of glioma cells and on the expression levels of proteins related to lipid metabolism. Conclusion. This study establishes OR7A5 as a novel biomarker, potentially offering a novel therapeutic target for gliomas. Subjects Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Neurology, Oncology Keywords OR7A5, Glioma, Olfactory receptors, Prognosis, Biomarker INTRODUCTION Glioma, a frequently occurring primary malignant brain tumor, accounts for approximately 81% of all primary malignant brain tumors and has an increasing global prevalence (Ostrom et al., 2014) . Gliomas are distinguished by their high occurrence rate, frequent relapse, and elevated mortality rate (Louis et al., 2021) . The blood􀀕brain barrier hinders the penetration How to cite this article Bao Y, Tang Z, Chen R, Yu X, Qi X. 2024. Pan-cancer analysis identifies olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 as a potential biomarker for glioma. PeerJ 12:e17631 [http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17631](http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17631) of numerous chemotherapeutic agents into the brain, greatly impeding their effectiveness. Currently, a multimodal approach encompassing surgical intervention combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies is the principal treatment strategy for patients diagnosed with gliomas (Yang et al., 2022; Zhang et al., 2019) . Furthermore, the pivotal role of molecular diagnostics in augmenting the precision of glioma diagnosis and prognostic treatment responses highlights its importance. Consequently, it is imperative to identify innovative molecular markers to im

FAQs

What is OR7A5, and why is it investigated in cancers and glioma?

OR7A5 is an olfactory receptor family member. The study focuses on ORs because, beyond odor detection, they are implicated in tumor biology, and evidence for OR roles in glioma remains limited.

Which datasets and analyses were used to perform the pan-cancer study?

The analysis used public resources including HPA, TCGA, GEO, GTEx, TIMER2, TISDB, UALCAN, GEPIA2, and GSCA. Functional validation for glioma subtypes involved the CGGA database.

How is OR7A5 linked to glioma outcomes and molecular features?

OR7A5 expression correlates with adverse prognosis in glioma patients and is associated with 1p/19p co-deletion status and wild-type IDH status.

What functional effects did OR7A5 knockdown show in glioma experiments?

In vitro experiments confirmed that OR7A5 knockdown inhibits glioma cell proliferation and reduces expression of proteins related to lipid metabolism.

Sep 21, 2026

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