Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children up to four years of age. Many patients do not respond to available treatments, which makes medulloblastoma the major cause of morbidity and mortality by childhood cancer. Several studies have demonstrated that activation of genes typically expressed in stem cells confers more primitive and aggressive features to the tumor cells, which are often associated with unfavorable clinical prognosis. Factors from the tumor microenvironment may stimulate cell reprogramming and induce a stem-like phenotype in cancer cells. There are many evidences in the literature about the relevance of miRNAs in regulating intrinsic stem cell properties and tumor malignancy. Recent studies suggest the involvement of hsa-miR-367 in fibroblasts reprogramming to a pluripotent state. Differential expression of hsa-miR-367 has also been recently correlated with poor prognosis in some cancers. However, functional studies demonstrating the direct contribution of this miRNA in tumor aggressiveness is still lacking. Thus, in this project we will test whether the artificial expression of hsa-miR-367 affects aggressiveness of human medulloblastoma cells, in attempt to better understand the mechanisms involved in acquisition of the cancer stem cell phenotype and its clinical implications.
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