title: TSPO over-expression increases motility, transmigration and proliferation properties of C6 rat glioma cells.
abstract: Gliomas are one of the most malignant cancers. The molecular bases regulating the onset of such tumors are still poorly understood. The translocator protein (TSPO), formerly known as the peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor, is a mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-pore protein robustly expressed in gliomas and involved in the regulation of apoptosis and cell proliferation. TSPO expression levels have been correlated with tumor malignancy. Here we describe the production of C6 rat glioma cells engineered to over-express the TSPO protein with the aim of providing the first direct evidence of a correlation between TSPO expression level and glioma cell aggressiveness. We observed that TSPO potentiates proliferation, motility and transmigration capabilities as well as the ability to overcome contact-induced cell growth inhibition of glioma cells. On the whole, these data demonstrate that TSPO density influences metastatic potential of glioma cells. Since several data suggest that TSPO ligands may act as chemotherapeutic agents, in this paper we also demonstrate that TSPO ligand-induced cell death is dependent on TSPO density. These findings suggest that the use of TSPO ligands as chemotherapeutic agents could be effective on aggressive tumor cells with a high TSPO expression level.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Morfologia Umana e Biologia Applicata, University of Pisa, Via Volta 4, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariarosa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rechichi
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvetti
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chelli
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Da Pozzo
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spinetti
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lena
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Evangelista
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rainaldi
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gremigni
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005910:Glioma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008024:Ligands; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051381:Rats; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D007546:Isoquinolines; D008024:Ligands; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; C069997:Tspo protein, rat; C037850:PK 11195