Cancer initiating cells have been described to be the only cell population with tumorigenic capacity in glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive and untreatable cancers. Recent work from our group described that NFκB pathway was activated in glioblastoma initiating cells undergoing differentiation, and that blockade of this activation promoted senescence of differentiating cells. NFκB activation in cancer may be the result of either exposure to proinflammatory stimuli in the tumor microenvironment or upregulation of the signaling pathway by upstream regulators. Appropriate control of NFκB activity, which can be achieved by gene modification or pharmacological strategies, would provide a potential approach for the management of NFκB related tumors, including glioblastoma. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the relevance of NFκB in cancer and its possible role as a target of therapeutic intervention.

Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most devastating cancers and presents unique challenges to therapy because of its aggressive behavior. Cancer-initiating or progenitor cells have been described to be the only cell population with tumorigenic capacity in glioblastoma. Therefore, effective therapeutic strategies targeting these cells or the early precursors may be beneficial. We have established different cultures of glioblastoma-initiating cells (GICs) derived from surgical specimens and found that, after induction of differentiation, the NFjB transcriptional pathway was activated, as determined by analyzing key proteins such as p65 and IjB and the upregulation of a number of target genes. We also showed that blockade of nuclear factor (NF)jB signaling in differentiating GICs by different genetic strategies or treatment with smallmolecule inhibitors, promoted replication arrest and senescence. This effect was partly mediated by reduced levels of the NFjB target gene cyclin D1, because its downregulation by RNA interference reproduced a similar phenotype. Furthermore, these results were confirmed in a xenograft model. Intravenous treatment of immunodeficient mice bearing human GIC-derived tumors with a novel smallmolecule inhibitor of the NFjB pathway induced senescence of tumor cells but no ultrastructural alterations of the brain parenchyma were detected. These findings reveal that activation of NFjB may keep differentiating GICs from acquiring a mature postmitotic phenotype, thus allowing cell proliferation, and support the rationale for therapeutic strategies aimed to promote premature senescence of differentiating GICs by blocking key factors within the NFjB pathway.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is associated with infiltration of peritumoral (PT) parenchyma by isolated tumor cells that leads to tumor regrowth. Recently, GBM stem‐like or initiating cells (GICs) have been identified in the PT area, but whether these GICs have enhanced migratory and invasive capabilities compared with GICs from the tumor mass (TM) is presently unknown. We isolated GICs from the infiltrated PT tissue and the TM of three patients and found that PT cells have an advantage over TM cells in two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional migration and invasion assays. Interestingly, PT cells display a high plasticity in protrusion formation and cell shape and their migration is insensitive to substrate stiffness, which represent advantages to infiltrate microenvironments of different rigidity. Furthermore, mouse and chicken embryo xenografts revealed that only PT cells showed a dispersed distribution pattern, closely associated to blood vessels. Consistent with cellular plasticity, simultaneous Rac and RhoA activation are required for the enhanced invasive capacity of PT cells. Moreover, Rho GTPase signaling modulators αVβ3 and p27 play key roles in GIC invasiveness. Of note, p27 is upregulated in TM cells and inhibits RhoA activity. Gene silencing of p27 increased the invasive capacity of TM GICs. Additionally, β3 integrin is upregulated in PT cells. Blockade of dimeric integrin αVβ3, a Rac activator, reduced the invasive capacity of PT GICs in vitro and abrogated the spreading of PT cells into chicken embryos. Thus, our results describe the invasive features acquired by a unique subpopulation of GICs that infiltrate neighboring tissue. STEM Cells 2013;31:1075–1085

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