Functional characterisation of Acid-Sensing Ion Channels in Glioblastoma stem cell lines

Typically, the micro-environment of a tumour has a slightly acidic pH. It it therefore important to characterize acid sensors, like Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), in tumor cells. In our most recent study, which was published in the journal Pflügers Archiv – European Journal of Physiology (https://rdcu.be/dhmGs), we have characterized ASICs in two cell lines, which had been isolated from medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor. We found that one of these cell lines, the commonly used DAOY cells, expresses functional ASIC1a. Public expression data confirmed expression of ASIC1a in medulloblastoma. It was already known that prolonged activation of ASIC1a can induce cell death. This was also the case in DAOY cells that overexpressed the RIPK3 kinase. Our results confirm that ASIC1a is an important acid sensor in brain tumors and that its activation has the potential to induce cell death in tumor cells.