• Molecules and Cells
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.7-12
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• 2009

Gliomas, much like other cancers, are composed of a heterogeneous mix of neoplastic and non-neoplastic cells that include both native and recruited cells. There is extensive diversity among the tumor cells, with differing capacity for In vitro and in vivo growth, a property intimately linked to the cell's differentiation status. Those cells that are undifferentiated, self-renewing, with the capacity for developing tumors (tumorigenic) cells are designated by some as cancer stem cells, because of the stem-like properties. These cells may be a critical therapeutic target. However the exact identity and cell(s) of origin of the socalled glioma cancer stem cell remain elusive. Here we review the current understanding of glioma cancer stem cell biology.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.165-174
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• 2018

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most lethal malignant brain tumor. Despite many intensive studies, the prognosis of glioblastoma multiforme is currently very poor, with a median overall survival duration of 14 months and 2-year survival rates of less than 10%. Although viral infections have been emphasized as potential cofactors, their influences on pathways that support glioblastoma progression are not known. Some previous studies indicated that human Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) was detected in healthy brains, and its microRNA was also detected in glioblastoma patients' plasma. However, a direct link between KSHV infection and glioblastoma is currently not known. In this study, we infected glioblastoma cells and glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) with KSHV to establish an in vitro cell model for KSHV-infected glioblastoma cells and glioma stem-like cells in order to identify virologic outcomes that overlap with markers of aggressive disease. Latently KSHV-infected glioblastoma cells and GSCs were successfully established. Additionally, using these cell models, we found that KSHV infection modulates the proliferation of glioma stem-like cells.

• BMB Reports
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.158-164
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• 2011

Gliomas are the most frequently occurring primary malignancies in the central nervous system, and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive of these tumors. Despite vigorous basic and clinical studies over past decades, the median survival of patients with this disease remains at about one year. Recent studies have suggested that GBMs contain a subpopulation of tumor cells that displays stem cell characteristics and could therefore be responsible for in vivo tumor growth. We will summarize the major oncogenic pathways abnormally regulated in gliomas, and review the recent findings from mouse models that our laboratory as well as others have developed for the study of GBM. The concept of cancer stem cells in GBM and their potential therapeutic importance will also be discussed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제40권7호
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• pp.515-522
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• 2017

CD133, a pentaspan transmembrane glycoprotein, is generally used as a cancer stem cell marker in various human malignancies, but its biological function in cancer cells, especially in glioma cells, is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that forced expression of CD133 increases the expression of IL-$1{\beta}$ and its downstream chemokines, namely, CCL3, CXCL3 and CXCL5, in U87MG glioma cells. Although there were no apparent changes in cell growth and sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, in vitro trans-well studies and in vivo tumor xenograft assays showed that neutrophil recruitment was markedly increased by the ectopic expression of CD133. In addition, the clinical relevance between CD133 expression and IL-$1{\beta}$ gene signature was established in patients with malignant gliomas. Thus, these results imply that glioma cells expressing CD133 are capable of modulating tumor microenvironment through the IL-$1{\beta}$ signaling pathway.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.48-55
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• 2010

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) differentiate into astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes, which is controlled by various factors in brain. Recent evidences suggest that small molecules modulating the proliferation and differentiation of NPCs may have therapeutic value as well as the potential use as chemical probes. Phylligenin is a lignan with anti-inflammatory activity that is isolated from the fruits of Forsythia koreana. We investigated effects of phylligenin on proliferation and differentiation of NPCs. Treatment of phylligenin decreased the number of proliferating NPCs in culture without effects on the differentiation and survival of neural cells such as neurons and astrocytes. To examine the mechanism of the decreased NPCs number, we performed cell cycle analysis. Proliferation of NPCs was decreased via G1-S transition block by phylligenin treatment, and it was mediated by the increase of p21 level. However, phylligenin did not induce apoptosis of NPCs as determined by TUNEL assay and PARP cleavage. We also found that viability of glioma cell lines such as C6 and U87MG glioma cells, but not that of primary neuron and astrocyte, was inhibited by phylligenin. These results suggest that phylligenin selectively inhibits proliferation of rapidly growing cells such as neural stem cells and glioma cells. Given that the possible role of brain tumor stem cells in the pathology of brain cancers, the inhibitory effects of phylligenin might be useful in the development of new therapeutic agents against brain cancers.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.17-23
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• 2014

We already had reported that Bcl-w promotes invasion or migration in gastric cancer cells and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) by activating matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) via specificity protein 1 (Sp1) or ${\beta}$-cateinin, respectively. High expression of Bcl-w also has been reported in GBM which is the most common malignant brain tumor and exhibits aggressive and invasive behavior. These reports propose that Bcl-w-induced signaling is strongly associated with aggressive characteristic of GBM. We demonstrated that Sp1 protein or mRNA expression is induced by Bcl-w using Western blotting or RT-PCR, respectively, and markedly elevated in high-grade glioma specimens compared with low-grade glioma tissues using tissue array. However, relationship between Bcl-w-related signaling and aggressive characteristic of GBM is poorly characterized. This study suggested that Bcl-w-induced Sp1 activation promoted expression of glioma stem-like cell markers, such as Musashi, Nanog, Oct4 and sox-2, as well as neurosphere formation and invasiveness, using western blotting, neurosphere formation assay, or invasion assay, culminating in their aggressive behavior. Therefore, Bcl-w-induced Sp1 activation is proposed as a putative marker for aggressiveness of GBM.

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권8호
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• pp.406-411
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• 2018

Exosomes are small membranous vesicles which contain abundant RNA molecules, and are transferred from releasing cells to uptaking cells. MicroRNA (miRNA) is one of the transferred molecules affecting the adopted cells, including glioma cells. We hypothesized that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can secrete exosomes loading miRNA and have important effects on the progress of gliomas. To determine these effects by treating exosomal miRNA in culture media of miRNA mimic transfected MSCs, we assessed the in vitro cell proliferation and invasion capabilities, and the expression level of relative proteins associated with cell apoptosis, growth and migration. For animal studies, the mice injected with U87 cells were exposed to exosomes derived from miRNA-584-5p transfected MSCs, to confirm the influence of exosomal miRNA on the progress of glioma. Based on our results, we propose a new targeted cancer therapy wherein exosomes derived from miRNA transfected MSCs could be used to modulate tumor progress as the anticancer vehicles.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제57권5호
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• pp.323-328
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• 2015

Objective : Malignant gliomas are the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system and the prognosis of patients with gliomas is poor. The combination of interferon-bata (IFN-${\beta}$) and temozolomide (TMZ) has shown significant additive antitumor effects in human glioma xenograft models. Considering that the poor survival of patients with human malignant gliomas relates partly to the inability to deliver therapeutic agents to the tumor, the tropism of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) for malignant gliomas can be exploited to therapeutic advantages. We investigated the combination effects of TMZ and MSCs that secrete IFN-${\beta}$ on gliomas. Methods : We engineered human MSCs to secret mouse IFN-${\beta}$ (MSC-IFN-${\beta}$) via adenoviral transduction and confirmed their secretory capacity using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to determine the effects of the combined TMZ and MSC-IFN-${\beta}$ treatment. Results : In vitro, the combination of MSC-IFN-${\beta}$ and TMZ showed significantly enhanced antitumor effects in GL26 mouse glioma cells. In vivo, the combined MSC-IFN-${\beta}$ and TMZ therapy significantly reduced the tumor size and improved the survival rates compared to each treatment alone. Conclusion : These results suggest that MSCs can be used as an effective delivery vehicle so that the combination of MSC-IFN-${\beta}$ and TMZ could be considered as a new option for the treatment of malignant gliomas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권12호
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• pp.5303-5307
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• 2016

Objective: Brain tumors cause great mortality and morbidity worldwide, and success rates with surgical treatment remain very low. Several recent studies have focused on introduction of novel effective medical therapeutic approaches. Genistein is a member of the isoflavonoid family which has proved to exert anticancer effects. Here we assessed the effects of genistein on the expression of MMP-2 and VEGF in low and high grade gliomas in vitro. Materials and Methods: High and low grade glioma tumor tissue samples were obtained from a total of 16 patients, washed with PBS, cut into small pieces, digested with collagenase type I and cultured in DMEM containing 10% FBS. When cells reached passage 3, they were exposed to genistein and MMP-2 and VEGF gene transcripts were determined by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: Expression of MMP-2 demonstrated 580-fold reduction in expression in low grade glioma cells post treatment with genistein compared to untreated cells (P value= 0.05). In cells derived from high grade lesions, expression of MMP-2 was 2-fold lower than in controls (P value> 0.05). Genistein caused a 4.7-fold reduction in VEGF transcript in high grade glioma cells (P value> 0.05) but no effects were evident in low grade glioma cells. Conclusion. Based on the data of the present study, low grade glioma cells appear much more sensitive to genistein and this isoflavone might offer an appropriate therapeutic intervention in these patients. Further investigation of this possibility is clearly warranted.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.530-536
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• 2019

교모세포종은 형질 전환된 신경 교세포로부터 유래한 악성 종양이다. 교모세포종의 치료는 외과적 수술을 포함한 약물 및 방사선 치료를 통해 진행된다. 그러나 이러한 치료 과정이 환자의 예후에 크게 기여하지 못하는 실정이다. 교모세포종 치료의 어려움 중 하나로 뇌종양줄기세포의 존재를 들 수 있다. 주요하게 proneural (PN) 아형과 mesenchymal (MES) 아형으로 나누어지는 뇌종양줄기세포는 교모세포종의 발달, 유지 및 항암 치료 후 재발의 원인이 되는 암세포로 이해되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 PN 아형 뇌종양줄기세포들이 특정 사이토카인에 선택적으로 MES 아형으로 전이가 될 수 있다는 것에 중점을 두고 실험을 진행하였다. PN 아형 뇌종양줄기세포 중 GSC11 세포는 $TNF-{\alpha}$ 사이토카인에 의해, 그리고 GSC23 세포는 $TGF-{\beta}1$ 사이토카인에 노출이 될 때 MES 아형 뇌종양줄기세포의 표지 인자인 CD44의 발현 증가가 관찰되었다. 또한, Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project (Ivy GAP) 데이터 베이스를 통해, $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $TGF-{\beta}1$은 종양미세환경을 구성하는 요소 중 각각 괴사 부위와 미세혈관 주위에서 높은 발현을 보임을 확인하였다. 따라서 본 연구 결과는 PN 아형의 뇌종양줄기세포가 특정 종양미세환경에서 조절되는 다양한 종류의 사이토카인 신호에 의해 MES 아형으로의 전이가 결정될 수 있다는 가능성을 시사한다.