Replication Protein A (RPA) Mediates Radio-Resistance of Glioblastoma Cancer Stem-Like Cells

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Henriette Pedersen
  • Elisabeth Anne Adanma Obara
  • Kirstine Juul Elbæk
  • Kristoffer Vitting-Serup
  • Petra Hamerlik

Glioblastoma (GBM) is among the deadliest of solid tumors with median survival rates of approximately 12–15 months despite maximal therapeutic intervention. A rare population of self-renewing cells referred to as GBM cancer stem-like cells (GSCs) are believed to be the source of inevitable recurrence in GBM. GSCs exhibit preferential activation of the DNA damage response pathway (DDR) and evade ionizing radiation (IR) therapy by superior execution of DNA repair compared to their differentiated counterparts, differentiated GBM cells (DGCs). Replication Protein A (RPA) plays a central role in most of the DNA metabolic processes essential for genomic stability, including DNA repair. Here, we show that RPA is preferentially expressed by GSCs and high RPA expression informs poor glioma patient survival. RPA loss either by shRNA-mediated silencing or chemical inhibition impairs GSCs’ survival and self-renewal and most importantly, sensitizes these cells to IR. This newly uncovered role of RPA in GSCs supports its potential clinical significance as a druggable biomarker in GBM.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1588
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume21
Issue number5
Number of pages13
ISSN1661-6596
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

    Research areas

  • Cancer stem-like cells, DNA damage, Glioblastoma, Radio-resistance, RPA

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