title: MicroRNAs-Proteomic Networks Characterizing Human Medulloblastoma-SLCs.
abstract: Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor of pediatric age and is characterized by cells expressing stem, astroglial, and neuronal markers. Among them, stem-like cells (hMB-SLCs) represent a fraction of the tumor cell population with the potential of self-renewal and proliferation and have been associated with tumor poor prognosis. In this context, microRNAs have been described as playing a pivotal role in stem cells differentiation. In our paper, we analyze microRNAs profile and genes expression of hMB-SLCs before and after Retinoic Acid- (RA-) induced differentiation. We aimed to identify pivotal players of specific pathways sustaining stemness and/or tumor development and progression and integrate the results of our recent proteomic study. Our results uncovered 22 differentially expressed microRNAs that were used as input together with deregulated genes and proteins in the Genomatix Pathway System (GePS) analysis revealing 3 subnetworks that could be interestingly involved in the maintenance of hMB-SLCs proliferation. Taken together, our findings highlight microRNAs, genes, and proteins that are significantly modulated in hMB-SLCs with respect to their RA-differentiated counterparts and could open new perspectives for prognostic and therapeutic intervention on MB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Catanzaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Zein Mersini
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0317-9854
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Besharat
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Neha
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2227-8292
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Santa Lucia IRCCS Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy; Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, 66013 Chieti, Italy; Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0797-6087
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronci
authors.affiliation: Santa Lucia IRCCS Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy; Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7141-1817
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pieroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy; Center for Life NanoScience at Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Evelina
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4747-1032
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miele
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mastronuzzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation, Neurosurgery Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5203-7855
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carai
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy; Center for Life NanoScience at Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8594-9837
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Alfano
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Agnese
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9346-8782
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Po
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy; Center for Life NanoScience at Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Viale Regina Elena 291, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Screpanti
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy; Department of Pediatric Science, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7976-3654
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.affiliation: Santa Lucia IRCCS Foundation, 00143 Rome, Italy; Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9168-3174
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urbani
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferretti