Brain tumor stem cells

In addition to their inherent self-sustaining properties, brain tumor stem cells may be more resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy than other tumor cells. Bao et al. (2006) found glioma stem cells (CD133+) were relatively radioresistant compared to CD133- tumor cells and preferentially activated the DNA damage checkpoint response. This relative resistance to standard treatment approaches of tumor stem cells compared to the majority of other cells within a tumor may underlie our current inability to cure patients with aggressive brain tumors such as glioblastoma. 

Intriguingly, besides providing the essential function of increased tumor perfusion, new vessel growth may also promote tumor growth through a separate mechanism. Neural stem cells and likely brain tumor stem cells reside in a perivascular niche, or specialized miaoenvironment, that both supports the cells and controls proliferation and fate determination (Calabrese et al. 2007). New vessel growth may therefore, also support brain tumor stem cells by providing new niche sites. 

Calabrese C, Poppleton H, Kocak M, Hogg TL, Fuller C, Hamner B, Oh EY, Gaber MW, Finklestein D, AUen M et al (2007) A perivascular niche for brain tumor stem cells. Cancer Cell 11 69-82... 

Vexcovi, A., Galli, R. and Reynolds, B. (2006) Brain tumor stem cells. Nat Rev Cancer 6, 425-436. 

Volume II, Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells, provides an analysis of various types of stem cells and their therapeutic potential. It concentrates particularly on embryonic and neural stem cells. This volume covers the broader potential of adult stem cells its biology, significance and potential for therapy. This volume also describes the potential of stem cells for autologous transplantation, the stem cell theory of carcinogenesis, particularly the existence of brain tumor stem cells, and the therapeutic potential of gene therapy for cell-based therapy. 

Keywords Amyloid beta peptides Brain tumor stem cells Caspase-3 Cyclin-dependent kinase Glioblastoma Micro RNA Pentraxin... 

Brain Tumors—Subpopulations of Brain Tumor Stem Cells. 804... 

Brain cancers constitute a genetically and phenotypically diverse class of proliferative neoplasms derived from incompletely differentiated neuroglial stem cells, sometimes referred to as brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs). Early pathogenetic events... 

Herber DL, Mercer M, Roth LM, Symmonds K, Maloney J, Wilson N (2007) Microglial activation is required for Abeta clearance after intracranial injection of Upopolysaccharide in APP transgenic mice. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2 222-231 Hide T, Takezaki T, Nakamura H, Kuratsu J, Kondo T (2008) Brain tumor stem cells as research and treatment targets. Brain Tumor Pathol 25 67-72 Hill JM, Zhao Y, Qement C, Neumann DM, Lukiw WJ (2009) HSV-1 infection of human brain cells induces miRNA-146a and Alzheimer-type inflammatory signaling. Neuroreport 20 1500-1505... 

Jiang H, Gomez-Manzano C, Aoki H, Alonso MM, Kondo S, McCormick F et al. Examination of the therapeutic potential of Delta-24-RGD in brain tumor stem cells role of autophagic cell death. J Natl Cancer Inst 2007 99 1410-1414. 

Soeda A, Inagaki A, Oka N, Ikegame Y, Aoki H, Y oshimura S, Nakashima S, Kunisada T, Iwama T. Epidermal growth factor plays a crucial role in mitogenic regulation of human brain tumor stem cells. J Biol Chem 2008 283 10958-10966. 

Santra M, Santra S, Buffer B, Santra KL, Nallani A, Chopp M. Effect of doublecortin on self-renewal and differentiation in brain tumor stem cells. Cancer Sci. 2011 102 1350-7. 

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