MicroRNA-153 is tumor suppressive in glioblastoma stem cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is lethal brain tumor thought to arise from GBM stem cells (GBM-SCs). MicroRNAs carry out post-transcriptional regulation of various cellular processes that modulate the stemness properties of GBM-SCs. Here, we investigated the critical role of miR-153 in GBM-SCs. First, GBM-SCs were isolated from six GBM specimens. These GBM-SCs formed GBM spheres, expressed markers associated with neural stem cells, and possessed the capacity for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. Then qRT-PCR analysis showed that miR-153 expression was down-regulated in GBM tissues relative to normal brain tissues, and in CD133 positive cells relative to CD133 negative cells. This project demonstrates for the first time that transient transfection of miR-153 into GBM-SCs can inhibit their stemness properties, such as impairing self-renewal ability and inducing differentiation. Meanwhile, miR-153 can also repress GBM-SCs growth and induce apoptosis. Altogether, these results indicate that reactivation of miR-153 expression suggests novel therapeutic strategies for GBM-SCs.