RESUMO
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary malignant brain tumor which lacks efficient treatment and predictive biomarkers. Expression of the epithelial stem cell marker Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (LGR5) has been described in GBM, but its functional role has not been conclusively elucidated. Here, we have investigated the role of LGR5 in a large repository of patient-derived GBM stem cell (GSC) cultures. The consequences of LGR5 overexpression or depletion have been analyzed using in vitro and in vivo methods, which showed that, among those with highest LGR5 expression (LGR5high ), there were two phenotypically distinct groups: one that was dependent on LGR5 for its malignant properties and another that was unaffected by changes in LGR5 expression. The LGR5-responding cultures could be identified by their significantly higher self-renewal capacity as measured by extreme limiting dilution assay (ELDA), and these LGR5high -ELDAhigh cultures were also significantly more malignant and invasive compared to the LGR5high -ELDAlow cultures. This showed that LGR5 expression alone would not be a strict marker of LGR5 responsiveness. In a search for additional biomarkers, we identified LPAR4, CCND2, and OLIG2 that were significantly upregulated in LGR5-responsive GSC cultures, and we found that OLIG2 together with LGR5 were predictive of GSC radiation and drug response. Overall, we show that LGR5 regulates the malignant phenotype in a subset of patient-derived GSC cultures, which supports its potential as a predictive GBM biomarker. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assuntos
Neoplasias Encefálicas/metabolismo , Movimento Celular , Proliferação de Células , Glioblastoma/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/metabolismo , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Animais , Neoplasias Encefálicas/genética , Neoplasias Encefálicas/patologia , Neoplasias Encefálicas/terapia , Movimento Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Movimento Celular/efeitos da radiação , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos da radiação , Autorrenovação Celular , Resistencia a Medicamentos Antineoplásicos , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Glioblastoma/genética , Glioblastoma/patologia , Glioblastoma/terapia , Humanos , Camundongos Endogâmicos NOD , Camundongos SCID , Invasividade Neoplásica , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/patologia , Células-Tronco Neoplásicas/efeitos da radiação , Fator de Transcrição 2 de Oligodendrócitos/genética , Fator de Transcrição 2 de Oligodendrócitos/metabolismo , Fenótipo , Tolerância a Radiação , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Transdução de Sinais , Células Tumorais CultivadasRESUMO
Glioblastoma multiforme is a brain malignancy characterized by high heterogeneity, invasiveness, and resistance to current therapies, attributes related to the occurrence of glioma stem cells (GSCs). Transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) promotes self-renewal and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) induces differentiation of GSCs. BMP7 induces the transcription factor Snail to promote astrocytic differentiation in GSCs and suppress tumor growth in vivo. We demonstrate that Snail represses stemness in GSCs. Snail interacts with SMAD signaling mediators, generates a positive feedback loop of BMP signaling and transcriptionally represses the TGFB1 gene, decreasing TGFß1 signaling activity. Exogenous TGFß1 counteracts Snail function in vitro, and in vivo promotes proliferation and re-expression of Nestin, confirming the importance of TGFB1 gene repression by Snail. In conclusion, novel insight highlights mechanisms whereby Snail differentially regulates the activity of the opposing BMP and TGFß pathways, thus promoting an astrocytic fate switch and repressing stemness in GSCs.
