The Bright and the Dark Sides of DNA Repair in Stem Cells

Figure 1

Resistance in GSC. Normal NSC self-renew and give rise to multipotential progenitor cells that form neurons, oligodendroglia, and astrocytes. GSC arise from the transformation of either NSC or progenitor cells (red) or, less likely, from de-differentiation of oligodendrocytes or astrocytes (thin red arrows) and lead to malignant gliomas. GSC are relatively resistant to standard treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy and lead to regrowth of the tumor after treatment. Therapies directed at stem cells can deplete these cells and potentially lead to more durable tumor regression (blue) (from [60] with permission).