Polymerase I and transcript release factor (PTRF) plays a role in the regulation of gene expression and the release of RNA transcripts during transcription, which have been associated with various human diseases. However, the role ofPTRFin glioma remains unclear. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data (n= 1022 cases) and ﻿whole-exome sequencing (WES) data (n= 286 cases) were used to characterize thePTRFexpression features. ﻿Gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis was used to assess the biological implication of changes inPTRFexpression. As a result, the expression ofPTRFwas associated with ﻿malignant progression in gliomas. Meanwhile, somatic mutational profiles and copy number variations (CNV) revealed the glioma subtypes classified byPTRFexpression showed distinct genomic alteration. Furthermore, GO functional enrichment analysis suggested thatPTRFexpression was associated with cell migration and angiogenesis, particularly during an immune response. Survival analysis confirmed that a high expression ofPTRFis associated with a poor prognosis. In summary,PTRFmay be a valuable factor for the diagnosis and treatment target of glioma.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-023-11001-2.