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Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
 18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A hallmark feature of glioblastoma is its strong self-renewal potential and immature differentiation state, which contributes to its plasticity and therapeutic resistance. Here, integrated genomic and biological analyses identified PLAGL2 as a potent protooncogene targeted for amplification/gain in malignant gliomas. Enhanced PLAGL2 expression strongly suppresses neural stem cell (NSC) and glioma-initiating cell differentiation while promoting their self-renewal capacity upon differentiation induction. Transcriptome analysis revealed that these differentiation-suppressive activities are attributable in part to PLAGL2 modulation of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Inhibition of Wnt signaling partially restores PLAGL2-expressing NSC differentiation capacity. The identification of PLAGL2 as a glioma oncogene highlights the importance of a growing class of cancer genes functioning to impart stem cell-like characteristics in malignant cells.
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PMID:PLAGL2 regulates Wnt signaling to impede differentiation in neural stem cells and gliomas. 2047 22

Cell fusion in vitro has been used to study cancer, gene mapping and regulation, and the production of antibodies via hybridomas. However, in-vivo heterosynkaryon formation by cell-cell fusion has received less attention. This investigation describes the spontaneous fusion of a human glioblastoma with normal hamster cells after xenogeneic transplantation, resulting in malignant cells that express both human and hamster genes and gene products, and retention of glioblastoma traits with an enhanced ability to metastasize. Three of 7 human genes found showed translation of their proteins during serial propagation in vivo or in vitro for years; namely, CD74, CXCR4 and PLAGL2, each implicated with malignancy or glioblastoma. This supports the thesis that genetic hybridization of cancer and normal cells can transmit malignancy and also, as first described herein, regulatory genes involved in the tumor's organotypic morphology. Evidence also is increasing that even cell-free human cancer DNA can induce malignancy and transfer genetic information to normal cells. Hence, we posit that the transfer of genetic information between tumor and stromal cells, whether by cell-cell fusion or other mechanisms, is implicated in the progression of malignancy, and may further define the crosstalk between cancer cells and their stromal neighbors.
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PMID:Horizontal transmission and retention of malignancy, as well as functional human genes, after spontaneous fusion of human glioblastoma and hamster host cells in vivo. 2179 29

Human glioblastomas may be hierarchically organized. Within this hierarchy, glioblastoma-initiating cells have been proposed to be more resistant to radiochemotherapy and responsible for recurrence. Here, established stem cell markers and stem cell attributed characteristics such as self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity have been profiled in primary glioblastoma cultures to predict radiosensitivity. Furthermore, the sensitivity to radiotherapy of different subpopulations within a single primary glioblastoma culture was analyzed by a flow cytometric approach using Nestin, SRY (sex-determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2) and glial fibrillary acidic protein. The protein expression of Nestin and SOX2 as well as the mRNA levels of Musashi1, L1 cell adhesion molecule, CD133, Nestin, and pleiomorphic adenoma gene-like 2 inversely correlated with radioresistance in regard to the clonogenic potential. Only CD44 protein expression correlated positively with radioresistance. In terms of proliferation, Nestin protein expression and Musashi1, pleiomorphic adenoma gene-like 2, and CD133 mRNA levels are inversely correlated with radioresistance. Higher expression of stem cell markers does not correlate with resistance to radiochemotherapy in the cancer genome atlas glioblastoma collective. SOX2 expressing subpopulations exist within single primary glioblastoma cultures. These subpopulations predominantly form the proliferative pool of the primary cultures and are sensitive to irradiation. Thus, profiling of established stem cell markers revealed a surprising result. Except CD44, the tested stem cell markers showed an inverse correlation between expression and radioresistance. Markers used to define glioma-initiating cells (GIC) are generally not defining a more resistant, but rather a more sensitive group of glioma cells. An exemption is CD44 expression. Also proliferation of the GIC culture itself was not systematically associated with radiosensitivity or - resistance, but a SOX-2 positive, proliferative subgroup within a GIC culture is showing the highest radiosensitivity.
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PMID:Primary glioblastoma cultures: can profiling of stem cell markers predict radiotherapy sensitivity? 2497 29