Review
Copyright ©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co.
World J Stem Cells. Apr 26, 2014; 6(2): 230-238
Published online Apr 26, 2014. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.230
Table 1 Major signaling pathways and their roles in glioblastoma stem cell biology
Signaling pathwayFunctionRef.
Self-renewal
Notch SignalingMaintenance of GSCs[50-57]
Tumorsphere formation
Tumorigenesis
Asymmetric division
TGF-β SignalingRegulation of self-renewal[34,58]
Maintenance of perivascular GSCs
Sonic Hedgehog SignalingPromotion of self-renewal and migration[56,61-66]
Upregulation of stem cell associated genes
Tumorigenesis
Wnt/β-catenin SignalingSelf-renewal and maintenance of GSCs[15,66-71]
Tumorigenesis
Associated with bad prognosis
PI3K/Akt SignalingPromotion of GSC self-renewal in vitro[41-44]
Proliferation and survival of GSCs
Tumorigenesis
MAPK SignalingProliferation and survival of GSCs[41]
Differentiation
BMP SignalingInhibition of asymmetric division[72-74]
Differentiation and proliferation block
Notch SignalingTrans-differentiation to tumor-derived endothelium[16]
TGF-β SignalingTrans-differentiation to vascular pericytes[17]