Pathway analysis of glutamate-mediated, calcium-related signaling in glioma progression.

Pathway analysis of glutamate-mediated, calcium-related signaling in glioma progression. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Jan 16;:113814 Authors: Pei Z, Lee KC, Khan A, Erisnor G, Wang HY Abstract Brain tumors, particularly high-grade glioblastomas, are a crucial public health issue due to poor prognosis and an extremely low survival rate. The glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) grows rapidly within its unique microenvironment that is characterized by active neural communications. Therefore, diverse neurotransmitters not only maintain normal brain functions but also influence glioma progression. To fully appreciate the relationship between neurotransmitters and glioma progression, we reviewed potential neurotransmitter contributors in human GBM and the much less aggressive Low-grade glioma (LGG) by combining previously published data from gene-mutation/mRNA sequencing databases together with protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis results. The summarized results indicate that glutamatergic and calcium signaling may provide positive feedback to promote glioma formation through 1) metabolic reprogramming and genetic switching to accelerate glioma duplication and progression; 2) upregulation of cytoskeleton proteins and elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels to increase glutamate release and facilitate formation of synaptic-like connections with surrounding cells in their microenvironment. The upregulated glutamatergic neuronal activities i...
Source: Biochemical Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Biochem Pharmacol Source Type: research