pp71-stimulated genes in U87 stable cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly malignant primary central nervous neoplasm characterized by tumor cell invasion, robust angiogenesis, and a mean survival of 15 months. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is present in > 90% of GBMs, although the role the virus plays in GBM pathogenesis is unclear. We report here that a majority of human GBM tumors express HCMV pp71, which has previously been found to promote cell cycle progression and viral replication, and that pp71 is expressed preferentially within the CD133+ cancer stem cell-like subpopulation. Overexpression of pp71 in adult neural precursor cells (NPCs) resulted in a dramatic induction of stem cell factor (SCF) gene expression, which has been identified as an important pro-angiogenic factor in GBM.

2

Matlaf LA, Harkins LE, Bezrookove V, Cobbs CS, Soroceanu L