Glioblastoma-Initiating Cells: Relationship with Neural Stem Cells and the Micro-Environment
Open Access
- 14 August 2013
- Vol. 5 (3), 1049-1071
- https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers5031049
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, WHO grade IV) is the most common and lethal subtype of primary brain tumor with a median overall survival of 15 months from the time of diagnosis. The presence in GBM of a cancer population displaying neural stem cell (NSC) properties as well as tumor-initiating abilities and resistance to current therapies suggests that these glioblastoma-initiating cells (GICs) play a central role in tumor development and are closely related to NSCs. However, it is nowadays still unclear whether GICs derive from NSCs, neural progenitor cells or differentiated cells such as astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. On the other hand, NSCs are located in specific regions of the adult brain called neurogenic niches that have been shown to control critical stem cell properties, to nourish NSCs and to support their self-renewal. This “seed-and-soil” relationship has also been adapted to cancer stem cell research as GICs also require a specific micro-environment to maintain their “stem cell” properties. In this review, we will discuss the controversies surrounding the origin and the identification of GBM stem cells and highlight the micro-environment impact on their biology.Keywords
This publication has 131 references indexed in Scilit:
- Non-Stem Cell Origin for OligodendrogliomaCancer Cell, 2010
- Longitudinal MRI evidence for decreased survival among periventricular glioblastomaJournal of Neuro-Oncology, 2010
- Integrated Genomic Analysis Identifies Clinically Relevant Subtypes of Glioblastoma Characterized by Abnormalities in PDGFRA, IDH1, EGFR, and NF1Cancer Cell, 2010
- Stem cell associated gene expression in glioblastoma multiforme: relationship to survival and the subventricular zoneJournal of Neuro-Oncology, 2009
- Expression of Mutant p53 Proteins Implicates a Lineage Relationship between Neural Stem Cells and Malignant Astrocytic Glioma in a Murine ModelCancer Cell, 2009
- Tumor initiating cells in malignant gliomas: biology and implications for therapyJournal of Molecular Medicine, 2009
- Neurosphere Formation Is an Independent Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Malignant GliomaThe International Journal of Cell Cloning, 2009
- Malignant Astrocytomas Originate from Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells in a Somatic Tumor Suppressor Mouse ModelCancer Cell, 2009
- The 2007 WHO Classification of Tumours of the Central Nervous SystemActa Neuropathologica, 2007
- Colony stimulating factor-1 expression in human gliomaMolecular and Chemical Neuropathology, 1994