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The following is a summary of “Unveiling the oncogenic role of SLC25A13: a multi-omics pan-cancer analysis reveals its impact on glioma progression,” published in the March 2025 issue of the Cancer Cell International by Wu et al.

SLC25A13, a crucial mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate carrier, plays a fundamental role in cellular metabolism and has been implicated in various pathological conditions. However, its involvement in cancer remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, researchers leveraged multi-omics data to comprehensively investigate the genetic alterations, expression patterns, and prognostic significance of SLC25A13 across multiple cancer types. Additionally, the study group explored its association with the tumor immune microenvironment, aiming to uncover its potential role in modulating cancer progression and immune interactions. 

Using advanced machine learning approaches, they identified seven core genes co-expressed with SLC25A13 and constructed a prognostic nomogram for patients with glioma, demonstrating its predictive power across independent validation cohorts. Functional experiments, both in vitro and in vivo, revealed that SLC25A13 is significantly upregulated in glioblastoma tissues compared to adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Moreover, its overexpression was shown to enhance glioblastoma cell proliferation and migration while suppressing apoptotic pathways, suggesting a tumor-promoting function. These findings establish SLC25A13 as a critical regulator of glioblastoma progression and highlight its broader relevance as a prognostic biomarker in cancer. Given its significant impact on tumor biology, SLC25A13 represents a promising therapeutic target, warranting further investigation into its potential for clinical intervention in glioma and other malignancies.

Source: cancerci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12935-025-03696-z