Target Marker Gene Expressions and the Possibility of Molecular Therapy for Children’s Brain Tumors.

ErbB2, c-Myc and p53 gene expressions are widely reported for the poor prognostic markers for medulloblastoma (MB) patients. Recently, Wnt pathway and Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathways are known to related to the oncogenesis of MB cells, and the PDGF receptor gene and some adhesion molecule gene expressions are also known to the markers of the dissemination or the metastasis of MB cells. For adult malignant brain tumors, the molecular targeted therapy of the antibody (trastuzumab, cetuximab), the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (imatinib, gefinitib) or other signal transduction inhibitor (cyclopamin) are clinically researched. We examined several important marker gene expressions of the molecular therapy in various children’s brain tumors and searched the possible molecular targeted therapy.

[Materials and methods] Fifteen children’s brain tumor (five MB, seven glioma, three ependymoma) and four adult brain tumor (two glioma, two glioblastoma) were examind. The three MB cases were primary metaststic ones. The mRNA expressions of the marker genes (ErbB2, PDGF receptor, PCNA, SPARC, β-catenin, SUFU, c-Myc, p53, TrkC and so on) were examined by quantity polymerase chain (qPCR) reaction with fresh frozen tumor cells. For the normal control, we used the normal cerebellum total RNA samples of the Becton, Dikinson and Company. CYBR green coloring system was used for the qPCR and their primers were designed in the region between two exons. GAPDH gene expression was also examined as an internal control and all of the gene expression were normalized by GAPDH expression.

[Results] ErbB2 gene expression in MB cells were various, but their expression were similar to clinical futures, such as, the higher expressed cases had some high risk factors. In glioma cells, ErbB2 gene expression were almost equal by lower levels. PDGF receptor gene expression were more than five to ten times elevated in all of the glioma cells, even if they were low grade malignancy glioma, and were higher than that in MB cells. PCNA was specially elevated in primary metastatic MB cells.

[Conclusion] Our data shows that the molecular characteristics of the children’s brain tumors were thought to be different by cases, even if they had same histopathological characters. Some special gene tageting therapy, such as anti-ErbB2, PDGFR and/or PCNA therapy can be used for the various children’s brain tumors which are resistant for conventional therapies and are cured by adequate molecular therapy.