Abstract
Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) plays a crucial role in glioma metabolism and its interaction with the immune microenvironment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between FAO-related genes and glioma by constructing gene clusters using a glioma cohort. A total of 287 differentially expressed genes related to FAO were identified and the top 50 genes were selected based on their P-values. Subsequently, patients were classified into two distinct gene subtypes (A and B) based on these genes. Scores for each patient were calculated using the 50 genes and the patients were divided into the high and low-score groups accordingly. Patients in subtype B exhibited higher tumor grades and poor prognostic factors such as older age and worse survival rates. The high-score subgroup had unfavorable indicators, including isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 wild-type, high tumor grade and 1p19q non-codeleted, while immune checkpoint expression was generally higher in the high-score subgroup. The constructed scoring model was validated using an external dataset, and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 gene was identified through protein interaction analysis, suggesting its potential involvement in glioma malignancy and promotion of glioblastoma proliferation. In conclusion, FAO-related genes may contribute to tumor development through immune mechanisms and the present study may provide novel insights for potential therapeutic strategies in glioma treatment.