Genomic profiling of low- and high-grade gliomas, ependymomas and medulloblastomas has revealed chromosomal abnormalities and specific gene mutations which have been associated with aberrant activation of crucial signal transduction pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase, mammalian target of rapamycin and retinoblastoma tumor suppressor signaling.
When using RNAi and a pharmacological inhibitor selective for PCTK1, we could show that this kinase plays a crucial role in the proliferation of MB cell lines and the activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway.
We also briefly review two important advances in this area: the treatment of medulloblastomas in patients with mutations in the PTCH1 gene, and the discovery of deregulated mammalian target of rapamycin as a major oncogenic driver molecule in patients with TSC mutations and subependymal giant cell astrocytoma.