A study of the origin of human glioma based on cell lines and tumor specimens

Abstract

This study is focused on the search for human glioma “cells of origin.” Specimens of tumor tissue have been assayed with RT-PCR for the expression of molecular markers specific for nerve tissue (NeuN, MOG, MBP, NG2, Olig2, Vimentin, GFAP, Aldh1L1), as well as markers of stem (Oct4, C-Kit) and cancerous stem (CD133) cells. It was found that the expression profiles of these markers were overlapped for different types of gliomas and the type of “cells of origin” cannot be determined. We suggest that more sophisticated culture conditions than traditionally used serum-based media should be applied to study the origin of glioma based on cell lines.