The G-protein Alpha Subunit Gs Is A Tumor Suppressor In Sonic Hedgehog-driven Medulloblastoma [Microarray expression]

Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, is highly heterogeneous with distinct molecular subtypes and cellular origins. Although current treatments improve survival rates, patients suffer severe treatment-related side effects and often relapse of tumors carrying resistance mutations, underscoring an urgent need for alternative targeted therapies. Currently, the genetic alterations underlying this disease are not fully understood. Here we identify GNAS, encoding the G-protein Gs-alpha, as a potent tumor suppressor gene in medulloblastoma. GNAS specifically defines a subset of aggressive Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)-group medulloblastomas. Gnas loss-of-function in distinct lineage progenitors of the developing hindbrain suffices to initiate medulloblastoma. We find that Gs-alpha is highly enriched at primary cilia of granule neuron precursors and suppresses Shh signaling not only by regulating classic cAMP-dependent pathway but also controlling ciliary trafficking of Smoothened. Concurrent cAMP elevation and Smoothened inhibition robustly arrests tumor cell growth in Gnas mutants. We further reveal oligodendrocyte progenitors as a novel cellular origin for anatomically-distinct Shh-associated medulloblastomas. Together, we identify a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor function of Gs-alpha in medulloblastoma partially mediated through inhibiting Shh signaling, and uncover Gs-alpha as a molecular link across disparate cells of origin among Shh-group medulloblastomas, pointing to G- protein modulation as a potential therapeutic avenue.

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He X, Zhang L, Chen Y, Remke M, Shih D, Lu F, Wang H, Deng Y, Yu Y, Xia Y, Wu X, Ramaswamy V, Hu T, Wang F, Zhou W, Burns DK, Kim SH, Kool M, Pfister SM, Weinstein LS, Pomeroy SL, Gilbertson RJ, Rubin JB, Hou Y, Wechsler-Reya R, Taylor MD, Lu QR