ARID4B is a good biomarker to predict tumour behaviour and decide WHO grades in gliomas and meningiomas.

AIMS: Although ARID4B is known to promote tumour metastasis in breast cancer and inhibit transformation and progression in leukaemia, the possible effect of ARID4B on primary brain tumours (PBTs) is not well characterised. We tested the hypothesis that expression of ARID4B correlates with WHO grade and survival in patients with PBTs.

METHODS: Western blot analysis was performed on protein lysates prepared from normal brain tissue and glioma cell lines (U87MG, LN229, GBM8401 and U118MG). Subsequently, immunohistochemical analysis of ARID4B was performed on 2 tissue microarrays, including 12 normal brain tissues, 63 meningiomas with different subtypes, 232 gliomas of various grades and degrees of differentiation, 8 central neurocytomas and 4 chordomas. The ARID4B immunostaining score was calculated by multiplying the intensity score by the percentage of tumour cells expressing ARID4B.

RESULTS: In vitro, ARID4B protein expression was increased in some glioma cell lines. In addition, the average ARID4B immunostaining score was 38.03, 79.09, 129.76 and 119.32, respectively, in gliomas of WHO grade I, II, III and IV. Higher ARID4B immunostaining score was significantly correlated with more advanced WHO grade of gliomas (p=7.4×10(-6)) and meningiomas. Finally, higher ARID4B expression tended to the shorter survival rates, but did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS: ARID4B overexpression presented in most of PBTs, rather than non-neoplastic brain tissue, and correlated with WHO grades in meningiomas and gliomas. Therefore, ARID4B is a satisfactory biomarker to highlight tumour component and predict tumour behaviour in primary brain neoplasms.