N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) inhibits glioblastoma cell proliferation

The most severe form of brain glioma, glioblastoma (GBM), is highly malignant and usually resistant to chemotherapy. Therefore, discovery of new targets for gene therapy is important. Using subtraction cloning, we identified the human N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (hNDRG2), located at chromosome 14q 11.2, as a gene that, is significantly suppressed in GBM tissues. Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that the hNDRG2 gene transcript is expressed in normal brain tissue and low-grade gliomas but it present at low levels in 15 of 2.7 (56%) human GBM tissues and all of the 6 human glioblastoma cell lines examined. Furthermore, transfection of human glioblastoma U373 and U 138 cells with a cDNA encoding hNDRG2 markedly reduced the cell proliferation. Our findings provide the first evidence to suggest that hNDRG2 may play a role in glioblastoma carcinogenesis. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.