We have previously reported the presence of Dlxin-1, a member of the melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) family, in the brain and showed its function as a cell cycle arrest protein, suggesting that Dlxin-1 may have anti-proliferative functions in rapidly growing tumors. Using the cancer stem cell hypothesis, which attributes the initiation and progression of brain tumors to the cancerinitiating stem cells, we have investigated the role of Dlxin-1 in the glioma stem cells propagated by us as a cell culture system comprising of HNGC-2 cells. Our studies provide evidence about the role of Dlxin-1 as an anti-tumorigenic protein in the highly chemo-resistant glioma stem cells. Next, we show that these anti-proliferative effects are manifested by Dlxin-1 through down regulation of the activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and through interaction of Dlxin-1 with its target protein P311 that is involved in glioma cell invasion. In summary, we establish the roles for Dlxin-1, one as an anti-tumorigenic and anti-invasive protein in highgrade gliomas and the other as an inducer of differentiation of glioma stem cells. These two attributes, in conjunction, result in conversion of the drug-resistant brain tumor stem cells to the tumor-attenuated cells that may now be more amenable to effective therapeutic targeting.