The G protein α subunit Gαs is a tumor suppressor in Sonic hedgehog-driven medulloblastoma.

Abstract:: Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant childhood brain tumor, exhibits distinct molecular subtypes and cellular origins. Genetic alterations driving medulloblastoma initiation and progression remain poorly understood. Herein, we identify GNAS, encoding the G protein Gαs, as a potent tumor suppressor gene that, when expressed at low levels, defines a subset of aggressive Sonic hedgehog (SHH)-driven human medulloblastomas. Ablation of the single Gnas gene in anatomically distinct progenitors in mice is sufficient to induce Shh-associated medulloblastomas, which recapitulate their human counterparts. Gαs is highly enriched at the primary cilium of granule neuron precursors and suppresses Shh signaling by regulating both the cAMP-dependent pathway and ciliary trafficking of Hedgehog pathway components. Elevation in levels of a Gαs effector, cAMP, effectively inhibits tumor cell proliferation and progression in Gnas-ablated mice. Thus, our gain- and loss-of-function studies identify a previously unrecognized tumor suppressor function for Gαs that can be found consistently across Shh-group medulloblastomas of disparate cellular and anatomical origins, highlighting G protein modulation as a potential therapeutic avenue.

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

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