PI3K activation in neural stem cells drives tumorigenesis which can be ameliorated by targeting the cAMP response element binding protein

Paul M. Daniel, Gulay Filiz, Daniel V. Brown, Michael Christie, Paul M. Waring, Yi Zhang, John M. Haynes, Colin Pouton, Dustin Flanagan, Elizabeth Vincan, Terrance G. Johns, Karen Montgomery, Wayne A. Phillips, Theo Mantamadiotis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Web of Science)

Abstract

Background. Hyperactivation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is common in cancers, but the precise role of the pathway in glioma biology remains to be determined. Some understanding of PI3K signaling mechanisms in brain cancer comes from studies on neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs), where signals transmitted via the PI3K pathway cooperate with other intracellular pathways and downstream transcription factors to regulate critical cell functions. Methods. To investigate the role of the PI3K pathway in glioma initiation and development, we generated a mouse model targeting the inducible expression of a PIK3CA H1047A oncogenic mutant and deletion of the PI3K negative regulator, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), to NSPCs. Results. Expression of a Pik3ca H1047A was sufficient to generate tumors with oligodendroglial features, but simultaneous loss of PTEN was required for the development of invasive, high-grade glioma. Pik3ca H1047A -PTEN mutant NSPCs exhibited enhanced neurosphere formation which correlated with increased Wnt signaling, while loss of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in Pik3ca H1047A -Pten mutant tumors led to longer symptom-free survival in mice. Conclusion. Taken together, our findings present a novel mouse model for glioma demonstrating that the PI3K pathway is important for initiation of tumorigenesis and that disruption of downstream CREB signaling attenuates tumor expansion.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1344-1355
Number of pages12
JournalNeuro-Oncology
Volume20
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Sept 2018

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