Variable methylation of the imprinted gene, SNRPN, supports a relationship between intracranial germ cell tumours and neural stem cells.
Germ cell tumours (GCTs) are a diverse group of neoplasms all of which are generally believed to arise from germ cell progenitors (PGCs). Even those that form in the nervous system are likewise believed to be PGC-derived, despite being found a great distance from the normal location of germ cells. The primary evidence in favour of this model for the origins of intracranial GCTs is that they share molecular features with other GCTs. Those features include shared gene expression and a lack of methylation of imprinted genes, including SNRPN. Contrary to this model, we have proposed that endogenous neural stem cells of the brain are a more likely origin for these tumours. We show here that the lack of methylation of SNRPN that has previously been taken to indicate an origin for GCTs from PGCs is also seen in neural stem cells of mice and humans. We believe that, in the light of these and other recent observations, endogenous neural precursors of the brain are a more plausible origin for intracranial GCTs than are misplaced PGCs.
Lee
Shih-Han
SH
Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre, Institute of Genetics, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
Appleby
Vanessa
V
Jeyapalan
Jennie N
JN
Palmer
Roger D
RD
Nicholson
James C
JC
Sottile
Virginie
V
Gao
Erning
E
Coleman
Nicholas
N
Scotting
Paul J
PJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult; D055517:snRNP Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D055517:snRNP Core Proteins