Insertional Mutagenesis Reveals Important Genetic Drivers of Central Nervous System Embryonal Tumors.

Medulloblastoma and central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumors (CNS-PNET) are aggressive, poorly differentiated brain tumors with limited effective therapies. Using () transposon mutagenesis, we identified novel genetic drivers of medulloblastoma and CNS-PNET. Cross-species gene expression analyses classified -driven tumors into distinct medulloblastoma and CNS-PNET subgroups, indicating they resemble human Sonic hedgehog and group 3 and 4 medulloblastoma and CNS neuroblastoma with activation. This represents the first genetically induced mouse model of CNS-PNET and a rare model of group 3 and 4 medulloblastoma. We identified several putative proto-oncogenes including , and . Genetic manipulation of these genes demonstrated a robust impact on tumorigenesis and . We also determined that FOXR2 interacts with N-MYC, increases C-MYC protein stability, and activates FAK/SRC signaling. Altogether, our study identified several promising therapeutic targets in medulloblastoma and CNS-PNET. SIGNIFICANCE: A transposon-induced mouse model identifies several novel genetic drivers and potential therapeutic targets in medulloblastoma and CNS-PNET.