# Upregulation of GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 as Prognostic Biomarkers in Thyroid Cancer: A Pan-Cancer and TCGA Data Analysis

**Authors:** Nuoyan Zhu, Liangliang Cai, Li Qian

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/ijms26083887 · 2025-04-20

## TL;DR

This study identifies GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 as potential biomarkers for thyroid cancer prognosis using pan-cancer and TCGA data.

## Contribution

The novelty lies in identifying GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 as upregulated genes linked to thyroid cancer prognosis and immune cell infiltration.

## Key findings

- GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 are highly expressed in thyroid cancer and other malignancies.
- High expression of these genes correlates with immune cell infiltration, particularly T cells and dendritic cells.
- The genes are associated with proliferation-related pathways and cell adhesion processes.

## Abstract

The study of gene anomalies linked to thyroid cancer is gaining more and more attention, and these molecular indicators can offer scholarly support for thyroid cancer diagnosis, therapy selection, and prognosis. Genotype–tissue expression pan-cancer data and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to investigate the expression of GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10. In order to assess the relationship between GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 expression and patient outcome, TCGA clinical survival data were used. We used the clusterProfiler R software tool to conduct enrichment analysis of GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10. Moreover, TCGA database analysis was used to assess the relationship between immune cell infiltration and GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 expression. GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10 were strongly expressed in several kinds of malignancies including thyroid cancer. Gene sets related to proliferation that are involved in leukocyte cell–cell adhesion and mononuclear cell differentiation were significantly correlated with high expression of GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10. Additional investigation revealed a correlation between high T cell and DC (dendritic cell) infiltration scores and high expression of GZMK, TREM2, and OR4D10. According to our research, OR4D10, TREM2, and GZMK could all be genes associated with thyroid cancer.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** GZMK (granzyme K) [NCBI Gene 3003], TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) [NCBI Gene 54209], OR4D10 (olfactory receptor family 4 subfamily D member 10) [NCBI Gene 390197]
- **Diseases:** thyroid cancer (MONDO:0002108)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) [NCBI Gene 54209] {aka AD17, PLOSL2, TREM-2, Trem2a, Trem2b, Trem2c}, GZMK (granzyme K) [NCBI Gene 3003] {aka GrK, TRYP2}, OR4D10 (olfactory receptor family 4 subfamily D member 10) [NCBI Gene 390197] {aka OR11-251, OR4D10P, OST711}
- **Diseases:** Cancer (MESH:D009369), Thyroid Cancer (MESH:D013964)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

5 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12027860/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12027860