In this study, we confirmed that transformed dedifferentiated astrocytes and neurons acquired a stem/progenitor cell state, although they still retained gene expression memory from their parental cell-type. Transcriptional network analysis on transformed cells revealed up-regulation of genes involved in three signaling pathways: Wnt signaling, cell cycle and focal adhesion with the gene Spp1, also known as osteopontin (OPN) serving as a key node connecting these three pathways. Inhibition of OPN blocked the formation of aggregated neurospheres, affected the proliferative capacity of transformed cell-types and reduced the expression levels of neural stem cell markers. Specific inhibition of OPN in murine glioma tumors prolonged mice survival. We conclude that OPN is an important player in dedifferentiation of cells during tumor formation, hence its inhibition can be a therapeutic target for glioblastoma. SOURCE: vipul bhargava (vipul.bhargava@gmail.com) -  ucsd

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE64411: Identification of therapeutic targets for glioblastoma by network analysis