Expression and putative functions of GDF-15, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, in human glioma and glioblastoma cell lines

Recent studies have demonstrated growth-inhibiting effects of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) on different cancer cell lines in vitro and on tumor growth in vivo. Here, we present data concerning expression of GDF-15 in glioblastoma. We found low levels of GDF-15 transcripts in primary glioblastoma. Thus, GDF-15 expression might be exploited as a useful indicator for distinguishing primary from other glial derived tumors. In contrast to the documented proapoptotic and anti-tumorigenic activities of GDF-15 in several cancer cell lines, our data suggest that GDF-15 does not decrease proliferation of glioblastoma cell lines, while its effects on invasiveness are not consistent.