Platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-β is an important tyrosine kinase and its downregulation has been reported to alter the radiosensitivity of glioma cells, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. In order to investigate the effect of PDGFR-β on the radiosensitivity of glioblastoma, the present study transfected C6 glioma cells with a PDGFR-β-specific small interfering (si)RNA expression plasmid, and downregulation of the expression of PDGFR-β in C6 glioma cells was confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis. Clone formation assays and xenograft growth curves demonstrated that PDGFR-β-siRNA enhanced the radiosensitivity of C6 glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, MTT and xenograft growth curves demonstrated that PDGFR-β-siRNA inhibited the proliferation of C6 glioma cells in vitro and in vivo, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that PDGFR-β-siRNA induced apoptosis and inhibited the expression of Ki-67, cyclin B1 and vascular endothelial growth factor in C6 glioma cell xenografts. Taken together, these results suggested that PDGFR-β may be used as a target for the radiosensitization of glioblastoma.
Keywords: RNA interference; glioblastoma; platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β; radiosensitization.