FAM72, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and Beyond

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSCs) offer great potential for regenerative medicine due to their excellent ability to differentiate into various specialized cell types of the brain. In the central nervous system (CNS), NSC renewal and differentiation are under strict control by the regulation of the pivotal SLIT-ROBO Rho GTPase activating protein 2 (SRGAP2)—Family with sequence similarity 72 (FAM72) master gene (i.e., |-SRGAP2–FAM72-|) via a divergent gene transcription activation mechanism. If the gene transcription control unit (i.e., the intergenic region of the two sub-gene units, SRGAP2 and FAM72) gets out of control, NSCs may transform into cancer stem cells and generate brain tumor cells responsible for brain cancer such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Here, we discuss the surveillance of this |-SRGAP2–FAM72-| master gene and its role in GBM, and also in light of FAM72 for diagnosing various types of cancers outside of the CNS.