Department of Radiation Biology, The Finsen Center, Section 6321, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
Neuro Oncol. 2010 Feb;12(2):199-211. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/nop022. Epub 2009 Dec 14.
Gliomas are among the most devastating adult tumors for which there is currently no cure. The tumors are derived from brain glial tissue and comprise several diverse tumor forms and grades. Recent reports highlight the importance of cancer-initiating cells in the malignancy of gliomas. These cells have been referred to as brain cancer stem cells (bCSC), as they share similarities to normal neural stem cells in the brain. The Notch signaling pathway is involved in cell fate decisions throughout normal development and in stem cell proliferation and maintenance. The role of Notch in cancer is now firmly established, and recent data implicate a role for Notch signaling also in gliomas and bCSC. In this review, we explore the role of the Notch signaling pathway in gliomas with emphasis on its role in normal brain development and its interplay with pathways and processes that are characteristic of malignant gliomas.
神经胶质瘤是目前尚无治愈方法的最具破坏性的成人肿瘤之一。这些肿瘤来源于脑胶质组织,包含几种不同的肿瘤形式和分级。最近的报告强调了癌症起始细胞在神经胶质瘤恶性程度中的重要性。这些细胞被称为脑肿瘤干细胞(bCSC),因为它们与大脑中的正常神经干细胞具有相似性。Notch 信号通路参与正常发育过程中的细胞命运决定以及干细胞的增殖和维持。Notch 在癌症中的作用现在已经得到了证实,最近的数据表明 Notch 信号在神经胶质瘤和 bCSC 中也发挥作用。在这篇综述中,我们探讨了 Notch 信号通路在神经胶质瘤中的作用,重点是它在正常脑发育中的作用以及与恶性神经胶质瘤特征性的通路和过程的相互作用。