Pharmacological targets of glioblastoma stem cells

Objective. To identify pharmacological targets to enhance the effectiveness of chemoradiotherapy. Materials and methods. A highly sensitive transcriptomic analysis using high-density microarrays, routine cell technologies, and advanced bioinformatic analysis were employed. Results. A total of 677 genes were identified in CD133+ glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) with expression levels increased by two-fold or more compared to differentiated glioblastoma cells (DGCs). Among them, 13 transcripts demonstrated a critically elevated expression in GSCs (more than 4-fold), including: akt1, hdac1, cnnb1, ahnak2, daam, pik3cg, mctp1, Il31ra, ca9, csnk2b, col6a1, col6a3 and lambd1. Conclusion. The primary pharmacological targets in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are the proteins AKT1, HDAC1, and CTNNB1 – the products of the akt1, hdac1, and ctnnb1 genes. Secondary targets include the protein products of the ahnak2, daam, pik3cg, mctp1, il31ra, ca9, csnk2b, col6a1, col6a3, and lambd1 genes