Tumor cell network integration in glioma represents a stemness feature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Malignant gliomas including glioblastomas are characterized by a striking cellular heterogeneity, which includes a subpopulation of glioma cells that becomes highly resistant by integration into tumor microtube (TM)-connected multicellular networks.

Methods

A novel functional approach to detect, isolate, and characterize glioma cell subpopulations with respect to in vivo network integration is established, combining a dye staining method with intravital two-photon microscopy, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), molecular profiling, and gene reporter studies.

Results

Glioblastoma cells that are part of the TM-connected tumor network show activated neurodevelopmental and glioma progression gene expression pathways. Importantly, many of them revealed p

SUBMITTER: Xie R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8099480 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature