Abstract A195: The role of P2X7 receptor in glioma cells.

P2X7 is an ionotropic receptor, whose activation by extracellular ATP can cause pro- or anti-apoptotic responses, depending on the concentration of the ligand. This receptor is expressed in almost all the cell types of the central nervous system and has been linked to cell death in several cells. Gliomas are primary tumors that arise in the CNS, and glioblastoma is the most deadly brain tumor due to their high proliferation, migration and infiltrative nature. Here, we show that survival of patients with gliomas directly correlate with the expression of P2X7 purinergic receptor analyzed with immunohistochemistry of a local group of patients or microarray in a set of patients from “REMBRANDT” and “The Cancer Genome Atlas” databases. A sub-population of cells more sensitive to ATP expressed more P2X7 when compared to a less sensitive subpopulation. Accordingly, RNA interference of the P2X7 receptor drastically reduced ATP-induced cell death, decreased cell adhesion and promoted migration, suggesting that this receptor is necessary for this effect. Since these are features of more aggressive cancers, this could be part of the explanation for the correlation observed in the patients’ outcome. These data support the importance of the purinergic system in general and the P2X7 receptor particularly in the pathobiology of gliomas. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):A195. Citation Format: Alessandra S. K Tamajusuku, Franciele C. Kipper, Eduardo C. Filippi-Chiela, Debora G. Flores, Gleice M. Reder, Luise Meurer, Ana M.O. Battastini, Rafael Roesler, Guido Lenz, Marcia R. Wink. The role of P2X7 receptor in glioma cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A195.