Targeted transcriptome profiling of fresh paired normal and tumor tissue samples in glioblastoma patients

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary central nervous system malignancy, with median survival of 15 months. Glioblastoma represents extraordinarily high tumor heterogeneity and alterations in genomic, transcriptomic or methylomic levels. To gain deeper insights into the molecular processes involved we studied transcriptome wide expression profiles using RNAseq of normal/tumor tissue pairs of 12 GBM patients and systematically analyzed the differentially expressed genes. Overall design: Fresh paired normal and tumor tissue samples were obtained from 12 patients with GBM undergoing surgery. Immunnostaining was performed to validate the nature of both tissue groups. After RNA extraction and reverse transcription, libraries were prepared with the Ion Ampliseq Transcriptome Human Gene Expression Kit. Templated spheres were achieved by emulsion PCR using the Ion One Touch system and sequenced with an Ion S5 semiconductor sequencer.