Global expression profile in low grade meningiomas and schwannomas shows upregulation of PDGFD, CDH1 and SLIT2 compared to their healthy tissue

Abstract

Schwannomas and grade I meningiomas are non‑metastatic neoplasms that share the common mutation of gene NF2. They usually appear in neurofibromatosis type 2 patients. Currently, there is no drug treatment available for both tumors, thus the use of wide expression technologies is crucial to identify therapeutic targets. Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0 ST was used to test global gene expression in 22 meningiomas, 31 schwannomas and, as non-tumoral controls, 3 healthy meningeal tissues, 8 non-tumoral nerves and 1 primary Schwann cell culture. A non-stringent P-value cut-off and fold change were used to establish deregulated genes. We identified a subset of genes that were upregulated in meningiomas and schwannomas when compared to their respectively healthy tissues, including PDGFD, CDH1 and SLIT2. Thus, these genes should be thoroughly studied as targets in a possible combined treatment.

Figure 1

Principal component analysis (PCA) of all samples studied. Green dots represent non-tumoral healthy nerves and the blue dots non-tumoral meninges samples. (A) Red dots are all the schwannomas studied, while yellow dots are the meningioma samples. Both entities are clearly separated, except for two samples (white arrow), one corresponding to a schwannoma from an NF2 patient and the other to a grade I meningioma. The most remote green dot corresponds to the cultured Schwann cells used as controls. (B) Violet dots are samples without alteration in the NF2 gene, and gold dots are tumors carrying such an alteration. The same point of view is shown in both images A and B, and no clear distinction between those two groups was found.