Glioblastomas are associated with high mortality due to their aggressive growth and invasiveness. Interactions and functional cross-talk between
tumor cells and their microenvironments are mediated by
cell surface receptors that are responsible for cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion. Central nervous tissues contain plenty of the
glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan, and
glioma cells express the major cell surface
hyaluronan receptor, CD44. In this study, we analyzed the expression and roles of CD44 in human brain tissues. Normal brain tissues showed no or weak CD44 expression, while reactive astrocytes and
astrocytoma cells expressed CD44 at variable levels. Immunohistochemically, a higher percentage and intensity of CD44-positive
tumor cells were detected in high-grade
astrocytomas compared with low-grade
astrocytomas.
Glioblastoma cells that express CD44 were localized in perivascular and perinecrotic lesions. The human
glioma cell lines A172 and KG-1-C expressed CD44
mRNA and
protein. Administration of monoclonal anti-human-CD44 antibody inhibited the migration of A172 cells, which are
glioblastoma-derived, but did not affect cell growth. In conclusion, CD44 expression levels correlated with the histopathological grade of
gliomas, and monoclonal anti-CD44 antibody inhibited the migration of
glioblastoma cells. These findings suggest that CD44 is a potential therapeutic target of
glioblastomas.