The proteomics of pediatric brain tumors

Abstract

Pediatric tumors of the CNS are the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in children. In pediatric pathology, brain tumors constitute the most frequent solid malignancy. An unparalleled outburst of information in pediatric neuro-oncology research has been witnessed over the last few years, largely due to increased use of high-throughput technologies such as genomics, proteomics and meta-analysis tools. Input from these technologies gives scientists the advantage of early prognosis assessment, more accurate diagnosis and prospective curative intent in the pediatric brain tumor clinical setting. The present review aims to summarize current knowledge on research applying proteomics techniques or proteomics-based approaches performed on pediatric brain tumors. Proteins that can be used as potential disease markers or molecular targets, and their biological significance, are herein listed and discussed. Furthermore, future perspectives that proteomics technologies may offer regarding this devastating disorder are presented.

Keywords::

• astrocytoma
• childhood CNS tumors
• ependymoma
• mass spectrometry
• medulloblastoma
• pediatric brain tumor
• proteomics

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Genomics and proteomics have caused medicine to shift from its original orientations, giving birth to a completely new arm of curative intent, an amalgam of medicine and research termed ‘translational medicine’.

• Brain tumors are the leading cause of death in children who develop solid tumors. Available materials for proteomic analysis of pediatric brain tumors are brain tissue sections or brain tissue surgical specimen, cerebrospinal fluid and immortalized brain tumor-derived cell lines.

• Proteomics verifies that the MAPK and PI3K pathways are of dominant importance in pediatric brain tumors .

• Regarding pediatric brain tumor research, classical analytical proteomics approaches (e.g., two-dimensional electrophoresis) are giving ground to modern high-power nano-LC–MS/MS approaches.

• The future of cancer therapeutics lies in immunotherapy.