GSE255581 GDNF/GFRA1 signaling contributes to chemo- and radioresistance in glioblastoma

In this study we first discovered glial-cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to be upregulated in patient-derived glioblastoma spheroid cultures after chemotherapeutic temozolomide (TMZ) treatment, through RNA-Seq experiments. Therefore, we investigated the role of the GDNF/GDNF receptor alpha 1 (GFRA1) signaling pathway as a resistance mechanism to chemotherapy with temozolomide and lomustine as well as irradiation using patient-derived glioblastoma spheroid cultures. With qPCR experiments we showed a consistent upregulation of GDNF and its primary receptor GFRA1 following all three lines of treatment. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9 knock-outs of GDNF in two patient-derived models sensitized these cells to chemotherapy treatment, but not radiotherapy. The increased sensitivity was completely reversed by the addition of exogeneous GDNF, confirming the key role of this factor in chemoresistance. Finally, a CRISPR KO of GFRA1 demonstrated a similar increased sensitivity to temozolomide and lomustine treatment, as well as radiotherapy. Together, our findings support the role of the GDNF/GFRA1 signaling pathway in glioblastoma chemo and radioresistance.
Source: GEO: Gene Expression Omnibus - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Tags: Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing Homo sapiens Source Type: research