Epigenetic Driver of Glioblastoma Provides New Therapeutic Target

In a study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center reported that cancer stem-cell properties are determined by epigenetic changes — chemical modifications that cells use to control which genes are turned on or off. The study reported that an enzyme, known as Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1), turns off genes required to maintain cancer stem cell properties in glioblastoma tumors. This epigenetic activity helps explain how glioblastoma can resist treatment. Furthermore, drugs that modify LSD1 levels could provide a new approach to treating glioblastoma. “One of the most striking findings in our study is that there are dynamic and reversible transitions between tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic states in glioblastoma that are determined by epigenetic regulation,” said the study’s senior author. “This plasticity represents a mechanism by which glioblastoma develops resistance to therapy … For instance, glioblastomas can escape the killing effects of a drug targeting MYC by simply shutting it off epigenetically and turning it on after the drug is no longer present. Ultimately, strategies addressing this dynamic interplay will be needed for effective glioblastoma therapy.” To read more about this study, click here.