A-Disintegrin and Metalloprotease (ADAM) 10 and 17 promote self-renewal of brain tumor sphere forming cells

It has been proposed that gliomas contain a subpopulation of ‘Brain Tumor Stem Cells’ (BTSCs), which demonstrate resistance to conventional therapies. A potential component of the environment governing the behavior of these BTSCs is a class of transmembrane proteins with structural and signaling functions, the A-Disintegrin And Metalloproteases (ADAMs). In this study we confirm overexpression of ADAM10 and 17 in human glioma tissue compared to human controls, and especially in tumor sphere cultures thought to enrich for BTSCs. Inhibition of ADAM10/17 function impairs the growth of tumor spheres with evidence of depletion of the sphere forming cell population. This results from a combination of reduced proliferation, cell death and a switch of sphere-forming cells away from symmetric self-renewal division towards neuronal differentiation. A developing appreciation of the role of ADAMs in BTSC promises insights into pathophysiology and potential therapeutic avenues in this intractable group of tumors.