Unraveling unique and common cell type-specific mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme persists to be an enigmatic distress in neuro-oncology. Its untethering capacity to thrive in a confined microenvironment, metastasize intracranially, and remain resistant to the sys-temic treatments, renders this tumour incurable. The glial cell type specificity in GBM remains explora -tory. In our study, we aimed to address this problem by studying the GBM at the cell type level in the brain. The cellular makeup of this tumour is composed of genetically altered glial cells which include astrocyte, microglia, oligodendrocyte precursor cell, newly formed oligodendrocyte and myelinating oligodendrocyte. We extracted cell type-specific solid tumour as well as recurrent solid tumour glioma genes, and studied their functional networks and contribution towards gliomagenesis. We identified the principal transcription factors that are found to be regulating vital tumorigenic processes. We also assessed the protein-protein interaction networks at their domain level to get a more microscopic view of the structural and functional operations that transpire in these cells. This yielded the eminent protein regulators exhibiting their regulation in signaling pathways. Overall, our study unveiled regulatory mech-anisms in glioma cell types that can be targeted for a more efficient glioma therapy. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Research Network of Computational and Structural Biotechnology.

Automated summary

The study examined glioblastoma at the cell type level in the brain, identifying principal transcription factors and protein regulators that could be targeted for more efficient glioma therapy.