Androgen activity in the male embryonic hindbrain drives lethal PFA ependymoma - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #brain tumor
- #PFA ependymoma
- #androgen signaling
- Posterior fossa type A (PFA) ependymoma is an infantile brain tumor with few known somatic mutations, primarily driven by epigenetic mechanisms.
- PFA ependymoma has a higher incidence and worse prognosis in male children compared to female children.
- Male gliogenic progenitors in the developing mouse hindbrain are less differentiated than female counterparts.
- Androgen signaling, rather than sex chromosomes, prolongs hindbrain differentiation in male mice.
- Androgen supplementation promotes PFA ependymoma growth, while androgen blockade reduces stem-like potential and proliferation.
- Anti-androgen therapies may offer a potential treatment for this currently untreatable childhood cancer.