Brain tumour stem cells

Adult somatic stem cells are a rare population of long-lived cells that have significant proliferative capacity, show extensive self-renewal and have a wide differentiation potential.Cells that have the cardinal properties of stem cells have been identified in restricted regions of the CNS, where they are arranged in specific lineage hierarchies.Similar to other adult stem cells, neural stem cells or their immediate progeny, which are called transiently dividing progenitors, can be considered a credible target for malignant transformation. This concept is supported by the finding that many of the molecular determinants that regulate normal neurogenesis seem also to be involved in tumorigenesis.Brain tumour stem cells have been identified and isolated from different types of brain tumour: in particular, glioblastoma multiforme and medulloblastoma.Brain tumour stem cells show all the features of stem cells, including the ability to generate new tumours that faithfully reproduce the phenotype of the human disease.The availability of brain tumour stem-cell lines provides a model system for the identification of specific antigenic and molecular markers that might target the tumour-initiating cell.The development of agents that selectively target and inhibit the tumour-initiating and propagation potential of brain tumour stem cells might reduce or eliminate primary tumour establishment, growth and recurrence.