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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

A Human Glioblastoma Organotypic Slice Culture Model for Study of Tumor Cell Migration and Patient-specific Effects of Anti-Invasive Drugs
Published on: July 20, 2017
Role of synaptojanin 2 in glioma cell migration and invasion
Ya-Yu Chuang1, Nhan L Tran, Nicole Rusk
1Center for Oncology and Cell Biology, Institute for Medical Research at North Shore-LIJ, Manhasset, New York 11030, USA.
Abstract:
The small GTPase Rac1 is thought to play an important role in cell migration and invasion. We have previously identified synaptojanin 2, a phosphoinositide phosphatase, as an effector of Rac1. Here, we show that small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of either Rac1 or synaptojanin 2 inhibits invasion of SNB19 and U87MG glioblastoma cells through Matrigel and rat brain slices. Depletion of Rac1 or synaptojanin 2 also inhibits migration of SNB19 and U87MG cells on glioma-derived extracellular matrix. In addition, we found that depletion of Rac1 or synaptojanin 2 inhibits the formation of lamellipodia and invadopodia, specialized membrane structures that are thought to be involved in extracellular matrix degradation. These results suggest that synaptojanin 2 contributes to the role of Rac1 in cell invasion and migration by regulating the formation of invadopodia and lamellipodia. This study also identifies synaptojanin 2 as a novel potential target for therapeutic intervention in malignant tumors.
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