Non-neoplastic astrocytes: key players for brain tumor progression

Myriam Catalano; Cristina Limatola; Flavia Trettel

doi:10.3389/fncel.2023.1352130

Non-neoplastic astrocytes: key players for brain tumor progression

Front Cell Neurosci. 2024 Jan 16:17:1352130. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1352130. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Myriam Catalano¹, Cristina Limatola^{1

2}, Flavia Trettel¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
² IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.

Abstract

Astrocytes are highly plastic cells whose activity is essential to maintain the cerebral homeostasis, regulating synaptogenesis and synaptic transmission, vascular and metabolic functions, ions, neuro- and gliotransmitters concentrations. In pathological conditions, astrocytes may undergo transient or long-lasting molecular and functional changes that contribute to disease resolution or exacerbation. In recent years, many studies demonstrated that non-neoplastic astrocytes are key cells of the tumor microenvironment that contribute to the pathogenesis of glioblastoma, the most common primary malignant brain tumor and of secondary metastatic brain tumors. This Mini Review covers the recent development of research on non-neoplastic astrocytes as tumor-modulators. Their double-edged capability to promote cancer progression or to represent potential tools to counteract brain tumors will be discussed.

Keywords: glioma; metastatic brain tumors; non-neoplastic astrocytes; primary brain tumors; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Sapienza University of Rome, grant RM12117A80E90BF3 to MC.; Italian Ministry of University, grant PRIN2020Z73J5A to CL.; AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research in Italy, grant IG-23010 to CL.; grant PNC SALUTE – D3 4 Health - Digital Driven Diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics for sustainable Health care - PNC0001, Spoke 3 Linea tematica 2, CUP B53C22006120001 to CL.