Program 2011 - Neurowissenschaftliche Gesellschaft eV - MDC

Symposia
Symposia
SYMPOSIUM 1, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 9:00 - 12:00
Introductory Introductory Remarks Remarks to to Symposium Symposium 1
1
56
Molecular Molecular Molecular mechanisms mechanisms mechanisms controlling controlling
controlling
neurogenesis neurogenesis and and tumorigenesis tumorigenesis tumorigenesis in
in
the the CNS CNS stem stem stem cells
cells
Rainer Glass and Michael Synowitz, Berlin
Somatic mutations in neural stem and precursor cells (NPC)
likely are the point of origin for primary brain tumors like
gliomas. In our symposium neuroscientists and neurooncologists
will introduce some fundamental molecular
mechanisms controlling CNS stem cells and tumorigenesis.
Hai-Kun Liu (Molecular Cell Biology, DKFZ, Heidelberg)
will show how the stem cell-specific receptor tailless (Tlx)
controls neurogenesis. Tlx is an orphan nuclear receptor
that is expressed in the developing brain, where it controls
radial glia cell-fates. In the adult brain Tlx is mandatory for
the maintenance of neural stem cells.
Ana Martin-Villalba (Molecular Neurobiology, DKFZ,
Heidelberg) will present that the CD95 signaling pathway is
context dependent and has very different roles in neurological
disorders, spinal cord injury, stem cell physiology and primary
brain tumors. CD95 can recruit a wide variety of secondmessenger
systems, which induce cell death in mature
neurons, increase neurogenesis in stem cells and accelerate
invasion of glioma cells.
Maria Stella Carro (Neurocenter & Comprehensive Cancer
Center, Freiburg) will show that computational and
functional genetics and genomics of transcription factor
networks in high grade gliomas uncovers master regulators
(like c/ebpâ and STAT3), which have the potential to
reprogram neural stem cells and to control glioma
aggressiveness.
Michael Synowitz (Dept of Neurosurgery, Charité, Berlin)
will show that NPCs from the SVZ migrate in large numbers
to experimental gliomas and release bone morphogenetic
protein-7 (BMP7), which induces differentiation specifically
in the highly malignant sub-fraction of brain tumor initiating
cells (glioma stem cells). This intrinsic anti-tumor response
is efficient in the young-adult brain but is lost with aging.
Rainer Glass (Cellular Neurosciences, MDC, Berlin) will
present that brain tumors have increased expression-levels
of the transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily
member-1 (TRPV1) as compared to tumor-free brain. NPCs
home to brain tumors and induce tumor cell-death by
releasing bioactive lipids which activate TRPV1. NPCreleased
TRPV1 agonists mediate cell-death of primary human
glioma.