RNA-seq analysis of glioblastoma stem cells where MEOX2 expression was knocked down by shRNAs

The most widely accepted hypothesis about glioblastoma onset indicates glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) as the cells of origin, also responsible for the high chemo- and radio-resistance of this tumor and of its recurrence. MEOX2 is a transcription factor overexpressed in glioblastoma, whose expression is negatively correlated to patients’ survival. Starting from our observation that MEOX2 expression is strongly enhanced in six GSC lines we tested, we performed shRNA-mediated knock-down experiments in two different GSC lines, and found that MEOX2 depletion inhibits their self-renewal and growth ability, and increases the apoptotic cell death. By a deep transcriptome analysis, we identified a core group of genes modulated in response to MEOX2 knock-down. Among these genes, the repressed ones are largely enriched in genes involved in the hypoxic response and in the glycolytic pathway, two strictly related pathways which contribute to the resistance of high grade gliomas to therapies. Total transcriptome results of two different human glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) lines, BT273 and BT379, transduced with lentiviral vectors expressing shRNAs targeting MEOX2. Each GSC type transduced with one specific anti-MEOX2 shRNA was assayed in two biological replicates, and the results compared to the same GSC type transduced with a negative control vector, assayed in two biological replicates.