Expression of ZFX gene correlated with the central features of the neoplastic phenotype in human brain tumors with distinct phenotypes

The zinc finger transcription factor zinc finger protein, X-linked (ZFX) acts as an important director of self-renewal in several stem cell types. Moreover, ZFXexpression abnormally increases in various cancers and relates to tumor grade. We performed this study, to examine its role in the pathogenesis of astrocytoma and meningioma.

We used real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method for evaluation of ZFXexpression in 25 astrocytoma tumoral tissue and 25 meningioma tumoral tissues with different WHO grades. Furthermore, the association of gene expression with various clinic-pathological characteristics was examined.

We found that there is a significant association between gene expression and different tumor grades, the presence or absence of invasion, forming and nonforming of glomeruloid vessels, the age over or under 50 and the presence or absence of calcification in astrocytomas. This is the first report that shows that ZFXwas directly correlated with the central features of the neoplastic phenotype, including the growth of cancer cells, angiogenesis, and invasion.

Regarding all the above-mentioned studies, it is highly plausible that silencing the expression of ZFXgene in gliomas has a major role in the therapeutic interventions of the disease in future.