Shravan K. Chintala, Ph.D. and Jasti S. Rao, Ph.D.

Department of Neurosurgery, Box 064, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Received 9/28/96; Accepted 10/17/96; On-line 11/01/96

7. PERSPECTIVE

We briefly summarized the molecular repertoire of extracellular matrix components of the brain and the role of ECM receptors and proteases involved in glioma cell invasion. Although different ECM components have been identified as having a role in glioma cell invasion, so far no single molecule has been identified as being responsible for the invasion. Understanding the significance of the ECM molecules will have a profound effect on anti-invasion strategies. One target would be the inhibition of proteolytic enzymes by an antisense method. Our recent results showed that antisense oligonucleotide transfection might be a suitable therapeutic approach to the inhibition of tumor cell invasion (Y. Go et al., unpublished observations). Inhibiting the synthesis of ECM components does not seem to be effective because tumor cells can find ECM molecules in the normal brain. Another approach might be to target integrin signaling in cell-matrix interaction. Whether this strategy can be exploited remains to be seen.