Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 2542: Neurotrophin Signaling in Medulloblastoma
Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 2542: Neurotrophin Signaling in Medulloblastoma
Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12092542
Authors:
Amanda Thomaz
Mariane Jaeger
Algemir L. Brunetto
André T. Brunetto
Lauro Gregianin
Caroline Brunetto de Farias
Vijay Ramaswamy
Carolina Nör
Michael D. Taylor
Rafael Roesler
Neurotrophins are a family of secreted proteins that act by binding to tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) or p75NTR receptors to regulate nervous system development and plasticity. Increasing evidence indicates that neurotrophins and their receptors in cancer cells play a role in tumor growth and resistance to treatment. In this review, we summarize evidence indicating that neurotrophin signaling influences medulloblastoma (MB), the most common type of malignant brain cancer afflicting children. We discuss the potential of neurotrophin receptors as new therapeutic targets for the treatment of MB. Overall, activation of TrkA and TrkC types of receptors seem to promote cell death, whereas TrkB might stimulate MB growth, and TrkB inhibition displays antitumor effects. Importantly, we show analyses of the gene expression profile of neurotrophins and their receptors in MB primary tumors, which indicate, among other findings, that higher levels of NTRK1 or NTRK2 are associated with reduced overall survival (OS) of patients with SHH MB tumors.
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Amanda Thomaz Mariane Jaeger Algemir L. Brunetto Andr é T. Brunetto Lauro Gregianin Caroline Brunetto de Farias Vijay Ramaswamy Carolina N ör Michael D. Taylor Rafael Roesler Tags: Review Source Type: research
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