NF-kappaB controls growth of glioblastomas/astrocytomas

NF-kappaB is a family of transcription factors that have been shown to be elevated in a variety of tumor types and in some cases central to their survival and growth. Here we present evidence that U-87 MG and U-118 MG growth is regulated by NF-kappaB and controlled by PDGF. NF-kappaB activity was suppressed by a dominant negative mutant of the human PDGF type beta receptor and PDGF-B chain neutralizing antibodies. Creation of cell lines that had inducible expression of shRNAs directed against either c-Rel or RelA inhibited growth almost 90% indicating that NF-kappaB plays a central role in glioblastoma growth.