Functional marker in glioblastoma

To identify receptors and pathways active in glioblastoma (GBM) stem like cells (GSCs), we generated and screened thousands of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for preferential binding to primary cultures enriched in GSCs. This led to the identification of the integrin alpha 7 (ITGA7) as a major laminin receptor in GSCs and in primary high-grade glioma specimens. Analyses of mRNA profiles in comprehensive datasets revealed that high ITGA7 expression was negatively correlated with survival of patients with both low- and high-grade glioma. In vitro and in vivo analyses demonstrated a key biological function of ITGA7 in growth and invasion of GSCs. In addition, we showed that targeting ITGA7 by RNAi or blocking mAbs impaired laminin-induced signaling and led to a significant delay of tumor engraftment and strong reduction in size and invasion. Our data underline the potential value of ITGA7 as glioma biomarker and therapeutic target.