An off-target nucleostemin RNAi inhibits growth in human glioblastoma-derived cancer stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Glioblastomas (GBM) may contain a variable proportion of active cancer stem cells (CSCs) capable of self-renewal, of aggregating into CD133(+) neurospheres, and to develop intracranial tumors that phenocopy the original ones. We hypothesized that nucleostemin may contribute to cancer stem cell biology as these cells share characteristics with normal stem cells. Here we report that nucleostemin is expressed in GBM-CSCs isolated from patient samples, and that its expression, conversely to what it has been described for ordinary stem cells, does not disappear when cells are differentiated. The significance of nucleostemin expression in CSCs was addressed by targeting the corresponding mRNA using lentivirally transduced short hairpin RNA (shRNA). In doing so, we found an off-target nucleostemi

SUBMITTER: Gil-Ranedo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3236221 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature