A prognostic glycolysis-related gene signature in osteosarcoma: implications for metabolic programming, immune microenvironment, and drug response.

Background/Aims: Osteosarcoma (OS), a malignant tumor originating in the bone or cartilage, primarily affects children and adolescents. Notably, glycolysis is the main target for metabolic programming to ensuring the energy supply for cancer. This study aimed to establish a glycolysis-related gene (GRG) risk signature in OS to comprehensively assessing the pathogenic, prognosis, and their application in predicting drug response. Methods: mRNA expression profiles were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO, GSE16091, GSE39058, and GSE21257). Using the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm, patients with OS were stratified into distinct subgroups based on 288 GRGs identified through univariable Cox analysis. Univariate Cox regression analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the molecular clusters was conducted to establish a risk signature comprising GRGs in OS. The prognostic efficacy of this risk signature was assessed Results: Patients diagnosed with OS were categorized into two distinct molecular subgroups, exhibiting notable variations in prognosis and tumor microenvironment. Univaria te Cox regression analysis was employed to identify four GRGs, namely chondroitin sulfate glucuronyltransferase ( Conclusion: A risk signature based on GRGs was established for OS, exhibiting robust predictive efficacy for prognostic assessment, and offering significant clinical utility for the prognosis of OS.