Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Archivio istituziona...arrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao
addClaim

Interfering with the tumour microenvironment of glioblastoma: an in vitro study

Authors: MASTANTUONO, SERENA;

Interfering with the tumour microenvironment of glioblastoma: an in vitro study

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary malignant tumour of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by high invasiveness, resistance to therapy and frequent recurrence. Despite the current standard treatment, including surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy, GBM patients face poor prognosis due to therapeutic resistance and tumour recurrence. A major contributor to GBM aggressiveness is the tumour microenvironment (TME), which promotes malignancy through interactions involving soluble factors, direct cell contacts, and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Among these stromal elements, glioma-associated stem cells (GASCs), a non-tumorigenic stromal component of the TME, have been shown to support tumour progression by secreting exosomes. These exosomes enhance glioma cell proliferation, migration, and resistance, particularly affecting glioma stem cells (GSCs), the tumour-initiating population and responsible of resistance to drug treatments. This study explores a novel therapeutic strategy based on reprogramming the tumour-supportive properties of the TME through drug modulation of GASCs and GASC-derived exosomes (GDEs). Two drugs targeting integrin-dependent pathways, anti-integrin α5β1 antibody and bacitracin, were employed to interfere with mechanism known to sustain GBM invasiveness. In vitro, these compounds have shown efficacy in reversing the tumour-supporting function of the TME, reducing GASC activated phenotype such as proliferation, motility and anchorage-independent growth. This supportive function is partly performed by exosomes: in fact, exosomes isolated from untreated GASCs enhanced tumour aggressiveness, whereas those from healthy astrocytes did not exert such effects. Remarkably, exosomes isolated from drug-treated GASCs no longer supported tumour aggressiveness: they impaired tumour cell proliferation, motility, migration/invasion and anchorage-independent growth. These findings indicate that drug treatment can effectively re-educate the TME, converting exosomes from tumour-promoting to tumour-suppressive mediators. Molecular characterization revealed that exosomes from drug-treated GASCs displayed a distinct microRNA profile, characterized by the upregulation of miR-21-5p, miR-34a-5p and miR-100-5p. This modified miRNA cargo suggests that drug-induced changes in the exosomal cargo may underlie their reduced tumour-supporting capacity. Overall, this work provides new insights into the role of GASC-derived exosomes in GBM progression and demonstrate that targeting the TME represents a promising adjuvant strategy to counteract tumour aggressiveness. By modulating exosome-mediated intercellular communication, it may be possible to overcome therapy resistance and improve the clinical management of GBM patients.

Country
Italy
Related Organizations
Keywords

Glioblastoma; Microenvironment; Exosomes; microRNA; Re-education

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Upload OA version
Are you the author of this publication? Upload your Open Access version to Zenodo!
It’s fast and easy, just two clicks!