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Updated: May 16, 2026
A 3D Spheroid Model for Glioblastoma
Published on: April 9, 2020
The role of drebrin in glioma migration and invasion
Yuzo Terakawa1, Sameer Agnihotri, Brian Golbourn
1The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Despite current advances in therapy consisting of surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation, the overall survival rate still remains poor. Therapeutic failures are partly attributable to the highly infiltrative nature of tumor adjacent to normal brain parenchyma. Recently, evidence is mounting to suggest that actin cytoskeleton dynamics are critical components of the cell invasion process. Drebrin is an actin-binding protein involved in the regulation of actin filament organization, and plays a significant role in cell motility; however, the role of drebrin in glioma cell invasiveness has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, this study was aimed to clarify the role of drebrin in glioma cell morphology and cell motility. Here we show that drebrin is expressed in glioma cell lines and in operative specimens of GBM. We demonstrate that stable overexpression of drebrin in U87 cells leads to alterations in cell morphology, and induces increased invasiveness in vitro while knockdown of drebrin in U87 cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreases invasion and migration. In addition, we show that depletion of drebrin by siRNA alters glioma cell morphology in A172 GBM cell line. Our results suggest that drebrin contributes to the maintenance of cell shape, and may play an important role in glioma cell motility.
Insights
Drebrin, a protein regulating actin cytoskeleton, promotes glioma cell invasion and migration. Targeting drebrin may offer new therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma (GBM) by affecting cell shape and motility.
Area of Science:
- Neuro-oncology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with poor prognosis despite multimodal therapy.
- Tumor invasiveness, driven by actin cytoskeleton dynamics, is a key factor in therapeutic failure.
- The role of drebrin, an actin-binding protein, in glioma cell invasion remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of drebrin in regulating glioma cell morphology and motility.
- To determine if drebrin expression correlates with glioblastoma invasiveness.
Main Methods:
- Drebrin expression analysis in glioma cell lines and GBM specimens.
- Overexpression and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of drebrin in U87 and A172 glioblastoma cell lines.
- Assessment of cell morphology, invasion, and migration assays in vitro.
Main Results:
- Drebrin is expressed in human glioblastoma cell lines and tumor samples.
- Overexpression of drebrin in U87 cells increased invasiveness and altered cell morphology.
- Knockdown of drebrin reduced invasion and migration in U87 and A172 cells, also affecting cell morphology.
Conclusions:
- Drebrin plays a significant role in maintaining glioma cell shape.
- Drebrin contributes to glioma cell motility and invasiveness.
- Targeting drebrin could be a potential therapeutic strategy for glioblastoma.
