Cell Signaling Pathway Goes Awry in Common Pediatric Brain Tumor

John Hopkins University recently published research in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology linking a cell-signaling pathway to a very common form of pediatric brain tumors, along with the possibility that this could enhance treatment methods. The cell communication pathway, known as Notch, was evaluated in samples of both healthy children and those diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) which is known for comprising 15 percent of primary brain tumors found in children and adolescents. Researchers found the Notch genes were overexpressed in nearly every case of PA brain tissue, implying a strong association. The lead researcher explained, “Notch is a very basic signaling pathway used for cell-to-cell communication during development. We know that cancer can abnormally activate such signaling pathways to promote cell growth and survival, and our new findings line up with that knowledge. We wanted to see if Notch also was inappropriately active in lower-grade tumors like PA, and that appears to be the case.” By using ‘short hairpin’ RNA to subdue this particular gene expression, tumor cells were made to react more positively to conventional treatment methods which led to further testing in regards to how Notch abnormalities hindered treatment. Future research hopes to determine if disabling Notch genes could prevent spreading of PA tumors to other regions such as the surface of the brain or cerebrospinal fluid. To learn more about this study, click here.