TATA box-binding protein-associated
factor 12 (TAF12) has been identified as an oncogene in
choroid plexus carcinoma, but its role in
glioma is poorly understood because of a lack of previous studies. This study investigated the relationship of TAF12 expression with the clinicopathologic features of
glioma cases, as well as its prognostic value and
biological function, using large-scale databases and clinical samples. TAF12
mRNA expression and clinicopathologic characteristics of
glioma cases were assessed in three public databases, and bioinformatics analyses were conducted to explore the prognostic value and
biological functions of TAF12 in
glioma. High TAF12 expression was commonly associated with reduced survival time and poor clinical indexes, including higher World Health Organization grade, wild-type
isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 expression, and 1p19q non-codeletion status (p < 0.0001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high TAF12 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for
glioma patients (hazard ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.68, p < 0.001). Functional enrichment analysis revealed involvement of TAF12 in immune and inflammatory responses in
glioma. Also, expression of several
immune checkpoint molecules was significantly higher in samples with high TAF12 expression. TAF12 is a potential independent prognostic factor for
glioma, and these findings provide a foundation for further investigation of the potential role of TAF12 in
immunotherapy.