GSE122679
Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling promotes post-embryonic morphogenesis and survival of glia and neural progenitor cells
Glioblastomas (GBMs), which are the most deadly malignant brain tumors of children and adults, infiltrate the brain and grow rapidly, and are resistant to current therapies. Glioblastomas (GBMs) frequently display mutations that activate receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), such as EGFR, which are thought to cooperate with additional factors to drive tumorigenesis. To identify and characterize genetic pathways that cooperate with RTKs to drive GBM progression, we performed RNA sequencing on several cell cultures created from surgical specimens from tumors with alterations in RTKs, and these cultures were grown as neurospheres in serum-free media used for normal neural stem/progenitor cell cultures. Under these conditions, GBM cells retain many defining features and mutations found in primary tumors. For comparison, we profiled commercially available human normal neural stem cells (HNPCs), which were grown under the same conditions. Data from these cell cultures was analyzed for transcripts differentially expressed between GBM cells and HNPCs, which showed that GBM cells that show RTK alterations strongly overexpressed the PDGFA and IGF2 secreted factors, which likely cooperate with EGFR to drive tumor progression. Overall design: Transcriptomic profiling of human glioblastoma neurospheres