title: Ephs and Ephrins in malignant gliomas.
abstract: Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and the corresponding ephrin ligands play a pivotal role in the glioma development and progression. Aberrant protein expression levels of the Eph receptors and ephrins are often associated with higher tumor grade and poor prognosis. Their function in tumorigenesis is complex due to the intricate network of possible co-occurring interactions between neighboring tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. Both Ephs and ephrins localize on the surface of tumor cells, tumor vasculature, glioma stem cells, tumor cells infiltrating brain, and immune cells infiltrating tumors. They can both promote and inhibit tumorigenicity depending on the downstream forward and reverse signalling generated. All the above-mentioned features make the Ephs/ephrins system an intriguing candidate for the development of new therapeutic strategies in glioma treatment. This review will give a general overview on the structure and the function of Ephs and ephrins, with a particular emphasis on the state of the knowledge of their role in malignant gliomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferluga
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Debinski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D036342:Ephrins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005910:Glioma / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D011485:Protein Binding; D036081:Receptors, Eph Family / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D036342:Ephrins; D036081:Receptors, Eph Family
keywords: Brain tumor; Eph; Ephrin; GBM; glioma