Thrombospondin-1 mimetics are promising novel therapeutics for MYC-associated medulloblastoma

Background Medulloblastoma (MB) comprises four subtypes of which group 3 MB are the most aggressive. Although overall survival for MB has improved, the outcome of group 3 MB remains dismal. C-MYC (MYC) amplification or MYC overexpression which characterizes group 3 MB is a strong negative prognostic factor and is frequently associated with metastases and relapses. We previously reported that MYC expression alone promotes highly aggressive MB phenotypes, in part via repression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a potent tumor suppressor. Methods In this study, we examined the potential role of TSP-1 and TSP-1 peptidomimetic ABT-898 in MYC-amplified human MB cell lines and two distinct murine models of MYC-driven group 3 MBs. Results We found that TSP-1 reconstitution diminished metastases and prolonged survival in orthotopic xenografts and promoted chemo- and radio-sensitivity via AKT signaling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ABT-898 can recapitulate the effects of TSP-1 expression in MB cells in vitro and specifically induced apoptosis in murine group 3 MB tumor cells. Conclusion Our data underscore the importance of TSP-1 as a critical tumor suppressor in MB and highlight TSP-1 peptidomimetics as promising novel therapeutics for the most lethal subtype of MB.