miRNA-7 attenuation in Schwannoma tumors stimulates growth by upregulating three oncogenic signaling pathways.

Micro RNAs (miRNA) negatively regulate protein-coding genes at the posttranscriptional level and are critical in tumorigenesis. Schwannomas develop from proliferation of dedifferentiated Schwann cells, which normally wrap nerve fibers to help support and insulate nerves. In this study, we carried out high-throughput miRNA expression profiling of human vestibular schwannomas by using an array representing 407 known miRNAs to explore the role of miRNAs in tumor growth.

A novel imaging-compatible sciatic nerve schwannoma model.

Benign schwannomas are common tumors of the cranial and peripheral nerves, causing pain and loss of function. The development of effective therapy for these tumors has been hampered by the lack of relevant experimental in vivo models for convenient testing. Here, we describe a novel schwannoma model in which an immortalized human schwannoma cell line, HEI-193, established from an neurofibromatosis type 2 patient, has been stably transduced with fluorescent protein and luciferase reporters and implanted within the sciatic nerve of nude mice.

Comparative protein profiling reveals minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins as novel potential tumor markers for meningiomas.

Meningiomas are among the most frequent tumors of the brain and spinal cord accounting for 15-20% of all central nervous system tumors and frequently associated with neurofibromatosis type 2. In this study, we aimed to unravel molecular meningioma tumorigenesis and discover novel protein biomarkers for diagnostic and/or prognostic purposes and performed in-depth proteomic profiling of meningioma cells compared to human primary arachnoidal cells. We isolated proteins from meningioma cell line SF4433 and human primary arachnoidal cells and analyzed the protein profiles by Gel-nanoLC-MS/MS in conjunction with protein identification and quantification by shotgun nanoLC tandem mass spectrometry and spectral counting.

Downregulated microRNA-200a in meningiomas promotes tumor growth by reducing E-cadherin and activating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

Meningiomas, one of the most common human brain tumors, are derived from arachnoidal cells associated with brain meninges, are usually benign, and are frequently associated with neurofibromatosis type 2. Here, we define a typical human meningioma microRNA (miRNA) profile and characterize the effects of one downregulated miRNA, miR-200a, on tumor growth. Elevated levels of miR-200a inhibited meningioma cell growth in culture and in a tumor model in vivo.