Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Isolation, Enrichment, and Maintenance of Medulloblastoma Stem Cells
06:32

Isolation, Enrichment, and Maintenance of Medulloblastoma Stem Cells

Published on: September 1, 2010

16.9K

G-Protein Gαs controls medulloblastoma initiation by suppressing sonic hedgehog signaling

Xuelian He1, Q Richard Lu1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Brain Tumor Center; Divisions of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology & Developmental Biology; Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine ; Cincinnati, OH USA.

Molecular & Cellular Oncology
|June 17, 2016
PubMed

Insights

G protein alpha subunit (Gαs) acts as a tumor suppressor in medulloblastoma by inhibiting sonic hedgehog signaling. Increasing cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels via Gαs can reduce tumor growth and proliferation.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • Medulloblastoma is a common pediatric brain tumor.
  • Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling is a key driver in medulloblastoma development.
  • The role of Gαs in medulloblastoma has not been previously established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of Gαs in medulloblastoma.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which Gαs affects medulloblastoma growth.
  • To evaluate Gαs as a potential therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized molecular biology techniques to study Gαs expression and function.
  • Investigated the interaction between Gαs and sonic hedgehog signaling pathway components.
  • Assessed the effect of Gαs modulation on medulloblastoma cell proliferation and signaling.

Main Results:

  • Identified Gαs as a novel tumor suppressor in medulloblastoma.
  • Demonstrated that Gαs inhibits sonic hedgehog signaling.
  • Showed that Gαs stimulates cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling and inhibits ciliary trafficking of hedgehog components.
  • Found that elevated cAMP levels inhibit medulloblastoma growth and tumor cell proliferation.

Conclusions:

  • Gαs functions as a tumor suppressor in medulloblastoma.
  • Gαs inhibits medulloblastoma by suppressing sonic hedgehog signaling through cAMP-dependent mechanisms.
  • Gαs represents a promising therapeutic target for medulloblastoma treatment.
Keywords:
CiliaG-proteinGNASGPCRSmoothenedSonic hedgehog signalingcAMPmedulloblastomapediatric brain tumorstumor cell origins

More Related Videos

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis07:26

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis

Published on: January 31, 2025

1.1K
Intracranial Orthotopic Allografting of Medulloblastoma Cells in Immunocompromised Mice05:10

Intracranial Orthotopic Allografting of Medulloblastoma Cells in Immunocompromised Mice

Published on: October 3, 2010

12.7K

Related Concept Videos

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway02:33

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...
10.3K
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway02:33

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

1.8K
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins01:22

Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins

Heterotrimeric G proteins are guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. As the name suggests, heterotrimeric G proteins are composed of three subunits: alpha, beta, and gamma. They remain GDP-bound or GTP-bound inside the cells and switch between inactive/active states. The Gα subunit possesses the nucleotide-binding pocket that binds guanine nucleotides and switches between GDP or GTP-bound states. In contrast, the Gꞵ and Gγ subunits are always bound together with high...
12.3K
GTPases and their Regulation02:14

GTPases and their Regulation

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins), also known as GTPases, are a superfamily of proteins that regulate many cellular processes, such as cell signaling, vesicular transport, and the regulation of cell shape and motility. Mutation or dysfunction of these proteins can lead to disease. There are around 40,000 known G-proteins that can broadly be classified into two groups ‒  small G-proteins consisting of a single domain and large multi-domain G-proteins.
Large G-proteins,...
10.2K
GTPases and their Regulation02:14

GTPases and their Regulation

3.2K
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a...
7.5K