Wnt and Notch signaling govern self-renewal and differentiation in a subset of human glioblastoma stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Developmental signal transduction pathways act diversely, with context-dependent roles across systems and disease types. Glioblastomas (GBMs), which are the poorest prognosis primary brain cancers, strongly resemble developmental systems, but these growth processes have not been exploited therapeutically, likely in part due to the extreme cellular and genetic heterogeneity observed in these tumors. The role of Wnt/βcatenin signaling in GBM stem cell (GSC) renewal and fate decisions remains controversial. Here, we report context-specific actions of Wnt/βcatenin signaling in directing cellular fate specification and renewal. A subset of primary GBM-derived stem cells requires Wnt proteins for self-renewal, and this subset specifically relies on Wnt/βcatenin signaling for enhanced tumor burde

SUBMITTER: Rajakulendran N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6499328 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature