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Molecular Biology of Malignant Gliomas

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Therapeutic Ribonucleic Acids in Brain Tumors

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Abstract

Malignant gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor. In spite of huge therapeutic efforts that include surgery, radiotherapy, and new alkylating agents, the disease progression and death is the rule. In recent years, genomic tools have provided extensive information, revealing key targets for new therapies that would shape our therapeutic strategies. This chapter summarizes the main molecular pathways with critical roles in malignant gliomas as well as new biological data that modulate our molecular, classical concepts on malignant gliomas. Furthermore, we describe gene expression profiles from human glioma samples that reveal new targets and clonal features critical for the ability of glioma cells to growth, invade, and migrate. In addition, recent studies suggest that there are malignant stem-like cells within a tumor that are responsible for tumor renewal, resistance to cytotoxic therapies, and relapse after radical treatments. In this regard, a subpopulation of stem cell-like tumor cells that diverge from side population cells have been isolated within human gliomas. Therefore, we have included an additional section focused on glioma stem-like cells and their genomic features.

To C. Belda Jr. He effectively disrupted my “signaling pathways” during the preparation of this manuscript

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Abbreviations

pRb:

Retinoblastoma protein

E2F:

Elongation 2 factor

CDK4:

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4

Mdm2:

Murine double minute 2

ARF:

Alternative reading frame

GBM:

Glioblastoma multiforme

PDGFB:

Platelet derived-growth factor-B

PI3K:

Phosphoinositide-3-kinase

mTOR:

Mammalian target of rapamycin

FGFR:

Fibroblast growth factor receptor

EGFR:

Epidermal growth factor receptor

PKB:

Protein kinase B

PTEN:

Phosphatase and tensin homolog

IGFBP-2:

Insulin growth factor binding protein-2

PKC:

Protein kinase C

NF-1:

Neurofibromin 1

EGF:

Epidermal growth factor

PAI-1:

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1

VEGF:

Vascular endotelial growth factor

MAPK:

Mitogen-activated protein kinases

SPR:

Substance P receptor

FSTL1:

Follistatin-like 1

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Oncology Unit CSIC/UAM at Medical Oncology Division, University Hospital La Paz, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Paseo de la Castellana 261, 28046, Madrid, Spain

    Cristóbal Belda-Iniesta, Rosario Perona & Jorge Barriuso

  2. Medical Oncology Division, MD Anderson International Cancer Center, Madrid, Spain

    Cristóbal Belda-Iniesta

Authors
  1. Cristóbal Belda-Iniesta
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  2. Rosario Perona
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  3. Jorge Barriuso
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristóbal Belda-Iniesta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Chemie und Biochemie, FU Berlin, Thielallee 63, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Volker A. Erdmann

  2. Inst. Neuropathologie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany

    Guido Reifenberger

  3. Inst. Bioorganic Chemistry, PAN Poznan, ul. Z. Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznan, 61-704, Poland

    Jan Barciszewski

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Belda-Iniesta, C., Perona, R., Barriuso, J. (2009). Molecular Biology of Malignant Gliomas. In: Erdmann, V., Reifenberger, G., Barciszewski, J. (eds) Therapeutic Ribonucleic Acids in Brain Tumors. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00475-9_1

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