ASPM-associated stem cell proliferation is involved in malignant progression of gliomas and constitutes an attractive therapeutic target.
ASPM (Abnormal Spindle-like Microcephaly associated) over-expression was recently implicated in the development of malignant gliomas.



To better characterize the involvement of ASPM in gliomas, we investigated the mRNA expression in 175 samples, including 8 WHO Grade II, 75 WHO Grade III and 92 WHO Grade IV tumors. Aspm expression was strongly correlated with tumor grade and increased at recurrence when compared to the initial lesion, whatever the initial grade of the primary tumor. ASPM expression also increased over serial passages in gliomaspheres in vitro and in mouse xenografts in vivo. Lentivirus-mediated shRNA silencing of ASPM resulted in dramatic proliferation arrest and cell death in two different gliomasphere models.



These data suggest that ASPM is involved in the malignant progression of gliomas, possibly through expansion of a cancer stem cell compartment, and is an attractive therapeutic target in glioblastoma multiforme.
Bikeye
Sandra-Nadia Ngwabyt
SN
UMR975 INSERM-UPMC, GH Pitié- Salpêtrière, Paris.
Colin
Carole
C
Marie
Yannick
Y
Vampouille
Raphaël
R
Ravassard
Philippe
P
Rousseau
Audrey
A
Boisselier
Blandine
B
Idbaih
Ahmed
A
Calvo
Charles Félix
CF
Leuraud
Pascal
P
Lassalle
Myriam
M
El Hallani
Soufiane
S
Delattre
Jean-Yves
JY
Sanson
Marc
M