Integrative analysis of cell adhesion molecules in glioblastoma identified prostaglandin F2 receptor inhibitor (PTGFRN) as an essential gene.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults exhibiting infiltration into surrounding tissues, recurrence, and resistance to therapy. GBM infiltration is accomplished by many deregulated factors such as cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), which are membrane proteins that participate in cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions to regulate survival, proliferation, migration, and stemness.

Methods: A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of CAMs (n = 518) in multiple available datasets revealed genetic and epigenetic alterations among CAMs in GBM.

Probing the Druggability Limits for Enzymes of the NAD Biosynthetic Network in Glioma.

The biosynthesis of NAD constitutes an important metabolic module in the cell, since NAD is an essential cofactor involved in several metabolic reactions. NAD concentrations are known to be significantly increased in several cancers, particularly in glioma, consistent with the observation of up-regulation of several enzymes of the network. Modulating NAD biosynthesis in glioma is therefore an attractive therapeutic strategy.