RNA-seq of human glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines treated with shRNA against GJB2, SCN9A, or non-targeted controls

Ion channels and related proteins of the ion permeome (IP) are common drug targets; however, their roles in cancer remain understudied. We performed a computational, pan-cancer analysis of druggable IP genes to prioritise targets for therapeutic and biomarker development. Two candidate biomarkers in glioblastoma (GBM), GJB2 and SCN9A, associated with poor prognosis in multiple datasets, as well as inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity and malignant cell types. We used shRNA to knock down GJB2 (G5) and SCN9A (S3) in patient-derived GBM cells (729) in triplicates and performed whole transcriptome sequencing to profile the transcriptome-wide changes. Pathway enrichment identified neural projection and proliferation pathways were significantly dysregulated in GJB2 and SCN9A GBM cell line knockdowns compared to non-targeted shRNA controls (Scr). Our study underlines altered bioelectrical signalling as a cancer hallmark and provides a catalogue of IP genes for functional experiments and therapy development.