Department of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Predio 43431, Sala 107, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2009 Dec;4(4):306-13. doi: 10.2174/157488809789649214.
There is now compelling evidence that brain tumors harbor a small population of cells characterized by their ability to undergo self-renewal and initiate tumors, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs). The development of therapeutic strategies targeted towards CSC signaling may improve the treatment of brain tumors such as malignant gliomas and medulloblastomas. Here we review the role of cancer stem cells in glioma and medulloblastoma and some of the signaling mechanisms involved in brain tumor stem cell (BTSC) biology, and discuss how these signaling pathways may represent new stem cell targets for the treatment of brain tumors. In addition, we provide illustrative immunohistochemical data on the presence of BTSCs in human gliomas and medulloblastomas, and show preliminary findings suggesting the involvement of a GPCR, the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), in the expansion of BTSCs in vitro.
现在有确凿的证据表明，脑瘤中存在一小部分细胞，其特征是具有自我更新和引发肿瘤的能力，被称为癌症干细胞（CSC）。针对 CSC 信号的治疗策略的发展可能会改善对脑肿瘤（如恶性神经胶质瘤和髓母细胞瘤）的治疗。在这里，我们回顾了癌症干细胞在神经胶质瘤和髓母细胞瘤中的作用，以及涉及脑肿瘤干细胞（BTSC）生物学的一些信号机制，并讨论了这些信号通路如何可能代表治疗脑肿瘤的新的干细胞靶标。此外，我们提供了关于 BTSC 在人类神经胶质瘤和髓母细胞瘤中的存在的说明性免疫组织化学数据，并展示了初步发现，表明胃泌素释放肽受体（GRPR）参与了 BTSC 在体外的扩增。
