Gossypol Treatment Restores Insufficient Apoptotic Function of DFF40/CAD in Human Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor and almost all patients die because of relapses. GBM-derived cells undergo cell death without nuclear fragmentation upon treatment with different apoptotic agents. Nuclear dismantling determines the point-of-no-return in the apoptotic process.

Three-dimensional vascular microenvironment landscape in human glioblastoma.

The cellular complexity of glioblastoma microenvironments is still poorly understood. In-depth, cell-resolution tissue analyses of human material are rare but highly necessary to understand the biology of this deadly tumor. Here we present a unique 3D visualization revealing the cellular composition of human GBM in detail and considering its critical association with the neo-vascular niche.

Phagocytic glioblastoma-associated microglia and macrophages populate invading pseudopalisades.

Hypoxic pseudopalisades are a pathological hallmark of human glioblastoma, which is linked to tumour malignancy and aggressiveness. Yet, their function and role in the tumour development have scarcely been explored. It is thought that pseudopalisades are formed by malignant cells escaping from the hypoxic environment, although evidence of the immune component of pseudopalisades has been elusive.

The MTOC/Golgi Complex at the T-Cell Immunological Synapse.

T cells effectively explore the tissue in search for antigens. When activated, they dedicate a big amount of energy and resources to arrange a complex structure called immunological synapse (IS), containing a particular distribution of molecules defined as supramolecular activation clusters (SMACs), and become polarized toward the target cell in a manner that channels the information specifically. This arrangement is symmetrical and requires the polarization of the MTOC and the Golgi to be operational, especially for the proper delivery of lytic granules and the recycling of molecules three dimensionally segregated at the clustered interface.