Somatic cell transfer of c-Myc and Bcl-2 induces large-cell anaplastic medulloblastomas in mice.

ABSTRACT: A highly aggressive subgroup of the pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma is characterized by overexpression of the proto-oncogene c-Myc, which encodes a transcription factor that normally maintains neural progenitor cells in an undifferentiated, proliferating state during embryonic development. Myc-driven medulloblastomas typically show a large-cell anaplastic (LCA) histological pattern, in which tumor cells display large, round nuclei with prominent nucleoli. This subgroup of medulloblastoma is therapeutically challenging because it is associated with a high rate of metastatic dissemination, which is a powerful predictor of short patient survival times. Genetically engineered mouse models have revealed important insights into the pathogenesis of medulloblastoma and served as preclinical

SUBMITTER: Jenkins NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4733589 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature