Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Characterization of Functionally Associated miRNAs in Glioblastoma and their Engineering into Artificial Clusters for Gene Therapy
Published on: October 4, 2019
Epigenetic Suppression of the IL-7 Pathway in Progressive Glioblastoma
Marton Tompa1, Zoltan Kraboth2,3, Bence Galik1,4
1Szentagothai Research Center, University of Pecs, 7624 Pecs, Hungary.
Background:
Immune evasion in glioblastoma (GBM) shields cancer cells from cytotoxic immune response.
Methods:
We investigated CpG methylation in promoters, genes, and pathways in 22 pairs of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sequential (FFPE) GBM using restricted resolution bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and bioinformatic analyses.
Results:
Gene ontology revealed hypermethylation in elements of the innate and adaptive immune system when recurrent GBM samples (GBMrec) were compared to control (CG) and primary GBM samples (GBMprim). Higher methylation levels of the IL-7 signaling pathway and response to IL-7 were found in GBMrec suggesting a progressive blockade of the IL-7 driven T cell response in sequential GBM. Analyses of the Cancer Genome Atlas array-based data confirmed hypermethylation of the IL-7 pathway in recurrent compared with primary GBM. We also quantified DNA CpG methylation in promoter and gene regions of the IL-7 ligand and IL-7 α-receptor subunit in individual samples of a large RRBS-based sequential cohort of GBM in a Viennese database and found significantly higher methylation levels in the IL-7 receptor α-subunit in GBMrec compared with GBMprim.
Conclusions:
This study revealed the progressive suppression of the IL-7 receptor-mediated pathway as a means of immune evasion by GBM and thereby highlighted it as a new treatment target.
Related Concept Videos
MicroRNAs
Abnormal Proliferation
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...

