Expression of Cathepsins B, D, and G in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase-Wildtype Glioblastoma

Authors: Sabrina P. Koh, Agadha C. Wickremesekera, Helen D. Brasch, Reginald Marsh, Swee T. Tan and Tinte Itinteang

Frontiers in Surgery, May 2017. Vol.4. doi:10.3389/surg.2017.00028

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fsurg.2017.00028/full

The GMRI has demonstrated the presence of cancer stem cells – considered to be the origin of cancer – in many different types of cancers including glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. We have also shown that the cancer stem cells in glioblastoma possess the constituents of the renin-angiotensin system.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a biochemical pathway which has a number of regulatory points that can be blocked by commonly used medications. The GMRI team has demonstrated that these steps can be bypassed by the action of different enzymes such as cathepsins B, D and G.  These enzymes are involved in three of the early steps in the RAS pathway and so their presence and levels of activity are important for the control of the RAS.

This paper presents the presence of cathepsins B, D and G in glioblastoma. Cathepsins B and D are detected in the cancer stem cells of glioblastoma and so are significant in the control of the function of these cells. Cathepsin G is detected in the  cells that are not cancer stem cells.

This discovery allows the GMRI team to design a more effective approach to regulate the renin-angiotensin system in order to control the cancer stem cells in the glioblastoma.

Expression of Cathepsins B, D, and G in Infantile Hemangioma

Article · June 2015 with 34 Reads

DOI: 10.3389/fsurg.2015.00026 · Source: PubMed