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World J Stem Cells. Jul 26, 2021; 13(7): 877-893
Published online Jul 26, 2021. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v13.i7.877
Role and mechanism of neural stem cells of the subventricular zone in glioblastoma
Gui-Long Zhang, Chuan-Fang Wang, Cheng Qian, Yun-Xiang Ji, Ye-Zhong Wang
Gui-Long Zhang, Chuan-Fang Wang, Cheng Qian, Yun-Xiang Ji, Ye-Zhong Wang, Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed to conception and design; Zhang GL, Wang CF, Qian C and Wang YZ contributed to literature investigation; Zhang GL and Wang CF contributed to manuscript writing; Wang YZ and Ji XY contributed to manuscript revision; Zhang GL and Wang CF contributed equally to this study; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, No. 2020M672592.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ye-Zhong Wang, MD, PhD, Chairman, Chief Doctor, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No. 250 Changgang, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China. wangyezhong@gzhmu.edu.cn
Received: February 26, 2021
Peer-review started: February 26, 2021
First decision: April 20, 2021
Revised: May 16, 2021
Accepted: June 18, 2021
Article in press: June 18, 2021
Published online: July 26, 2021
Processing time: 147 Days and 8.1 Hours
Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most frequently occurring malignant brain tumor in adults, remains mostly untreatable. Because of the heterogeneity of invasive gliomas and drug resistance associated with the tumor microenvironment, the prognosis is poor, and the survival rate of patients is low. Communication between GBMs and non-glioma cells in the tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in tumor growth and recurrence. Emerging data have suggested that neural stem cells (NSCs) in the subventricular zone (SVZ) are the cells-of-origin of gliomas, and SVZ NSC involvement is associated with the progression and recurrence of GBM. This review highlights the interaction between SVZ NSCs and gliomas, summarizes current findings on the crosstalk between gliomas and other non-glioma cells, and describes the links between SVZ NSCs and gliomas. We also discuss the role and mechanism of SVZ NSCs in glioblastoma, as well as the interventions targeting the SVZ and their therapeutic implications in glioblastoma. Taken together, understanding the biological mechanism of glioma-NSC interactions can lead to new therapeutic strategies for GBM.

Keywords: Neural stem cells; Glioma; Tumor microenvironment; Communication; Exosomes

Core Tip: This review summarizes current findings on the links between neural stem cells (NSCs) in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and glioblastoma as well as the therapeutic implications of using SVZ NSCs as drug delivery vehicles for targeted glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapy and their potential mechanisms. Understanding glioma-NSC interactions will lead to the development of strategies for treating GBM, such as the use of extracellular vesicles/exosomes.