Many members of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase (EphR) family are expressed by GBM stem cells (GSC), which have been implicated in resistance to GBM therapy.
Recent Eph targeting studies in pre-clinical models of GBM have been very encouraging and may provide an avenue to treat these highly refractory aggressive tumours.
Two factors, the ephrin type A receptor 1 and the prostaglandin E(2) receptor EP4 subtype, not previously considered in this context, were highlighted because of their particularly high (positive) correlation coefficients; immunostaining showed the products of these two genes to be localized in perinecrotic and necrotic regions and to be overexpressed in grade III GBMs, but not AAs.