Gliomas are one of the most common primary brain tumors in adults. They display aggressive invasiveness, are highly vascular, and have a poor prognosis. Plexin-B1 is involved in numerous cellular processes, especially cellular migration and angiogenesis. However, the role and regulatory mechanisms of Plexin-B1 in gliomas are not understood and were thus investigated in this study. By using multiple and diverse experimental techniques, we investigated cell apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, cell migration and invasion, angiogenesis, PI3K and Akt phosphorylation, and also the levels of SRPK1 and αvβ3 in glioma cells and animal glioma tissues. The results indicated that Plexin-B1 expression in glioma cell lines is increased compared to normal human astrocytes. Plexin-B1 mediates RhoA/integrin αvβ3 involved in the PI3K/Akt pathway and SRPK1 to influence the growth of glioma cell, angiogenesis, and motility in vitro and in vivo. Thus, Plexin-B1 signaling regulates the Rho/αvβ3/PI3K/Akt pathway and SRPK1, which are involved in glioma invasiveness and angiogenesis. Therefore, the new drug research should focus on Plexin-B1 as a target for the treatment of glioma invasion and angiogenesis.
Keywords: Glioma; Plexin-B1; RhoA; SRPK1; αvβ3.