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Håkan Axelson

Håkan Axelson

Research team manager

Håkan Axelson

The Irradiated brain microenvironment supports glioma stemness and survival via astrocyte-derived transglutaminase 2

Author

  • Tracy J. Berg
  • Carolina Marques
  • Vasiliki Pantazopoulou
  • Elinn Johansson
  • Kristoffer Von Stedingk
  • David Lindgren
  • Pauline Jeannot
  • Elin J. Pietras
  • Tobias Bergström
  • Fredrik J. Swartling
  • Valeria Governa
  • Johan Bengzon
  • Mattias Belting
  • Håkan Axelson
  • Massimo Squatrito
  • Alexander Pietras
Show all

Summary, in English

The tumor microenvironment plays an essential role in supporting glioma stemness and radioresistance. Following radiotherapy, recurrent gliomas form in an irradiated microenvironment. Here we report that astrocytes, when pre-irradiated, increase stemness and survival of cocultured glioma cells. Tumor-naïve brains increased reactive astrocytes in response to radiation, and mice subjected to radiation prior to implantation of glioma cells developed more aggressive tumors. Extracellular matrix derived from irradiated astrocytes were found to be a major driver of this phenotype and astrocyte-derived transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) was identified as a promoter of glioma stemness and radioresistance. TGM2 levels increased after radiation in vivo and in recurrent human glioma, and TGM2 inhibitors abrogated glioma stemness and survival. These data suggest that irradiation of the brain results in the formation of a tumor-supportive microenvironment. Therapeutic targeting of radiation-induced, astrocyte-derived extracellular matrix proteins may enhance the efficacy of standard-of-care radiotherapy by reducing stemness in glioma.

Department/s

  • Division of Translational Cancer Research
  • LUCC: Lund University Cancer Centre
  • Brain Tumor Biology
  • Paediatrics (Lund)
  • Childhood Cancer Research Unit
  • Tumor microenvironment
  • Neurosurgery
  • StemTherapy: National Initiative on Stem Cells for Regenerative Therapy

Publishing year

2021-04-01

Language

English

Pages

2101-2115

Publication/Series

Cancer Research

Volume

81

Issue

8

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

American Association for Cancer Research Inc.

Topic

  • Cancer and Oncology

Status

Published

Research group

  • Brain Tumor Biology
  • Childhood Cancer Research Unit
  • Tumor microenvironment

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0008-5472