Fig. 8: Schematic of pericyte and PDGF signaling supporting stem cell maintenance and chemo-resistance in ETMR. | Nature Communications

Fig. 8: Schematic of pericyte and PDGF signaling supporting stem cell maintenance and chemo-resistance in ETMR.

From: ETMR stem-like state and chemo-resistance are supported by perivascular cells at single-cell resolution

Fig. 8: Schematic of pericyte and PDGF signaling supporting stem cell maintenance and chemo-resistance in ETMR.

PDGFRβ+ pericytes and PDGF signaling support tumor survival through distinct mechanisms affecting both the tumor and the TME. In the TME: 1) ETMR promotes the transformation of neural stem cells (radial glial cells) into pericyte-like cells through a signaling cascade that shifts from WNT-high to PDGF-high expression; 2) PC communicates stem-cell signals through the ECM to maintain tumor sub-populations with self-renewal capacity (RG-like and NProg-like cells). In the tumor compartment: 1) Chemo-resistant RG-like tumor cells enhance PDGF signaling as a mechanism of survival advantage. Partially created with Biorender.com.

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