Association of Glioblastoma Multiforme Stem Cell Characteristics, Differentiation, and Microglia Marker Genes with Patient Survival

Figure 2

mRNA expression of candidate differentiation marker GFAP and microglia markers Iba1 and Sparc in glioblastoma tissue. (a) Relative mRNA expression in glioblastoma (GBM) in comparison to nonmalignant brain tissue (NB) analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR with normalization to 18S rRNA in relation to the median of data is shown as box plots representing the median as horizontal bars as well as the 5th and 95th percentiles. Mann–Whitney U test, . (b) Investigation of an impact of mRNA expression on patients’ survival by subdividing our patient cohort into two groups in dependence of their survival time (≤median versus >median). Data are shown as box plots representing the median as horizontal bars as well as the 5th and 95th percentiles. Mann–Whitney U test; no significant differences. (c) Kaplan-Meier survival curves for patients with GBM based on their GFAP, Iba1, or Sparc mRNA expression. Patients were divided into two subgroups depending on the respective median gene expression as determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Calculation of hazard ratios (≤median versus >median expression); Gehan-Breslow-Wilcoxon test and log-rank Mantel-Cox test, no significant differences.

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