The role of octamer binding transcription factors in glioblastoma multiforme

• Members of OCT family play important yet undefined role in biology of GBM.
• OCT4 and OCT7, along with other transcription factors, control GBM stemness.
• OCT1 is a part of a feedback loop controlling GBM metabolism and invasion.

A group of transcription factors (TF) that are master developmental regulators of the establishment and maintenance of pluripotency during embryogenesis play additional roles to control tissue homeostasis and regeneration in adults. Among these TFs, members of the octamer-binding transcription factor (OCT) gene family are well documented as major regulators controlling the self-renewal and pluripotency of stem cells isolated from different adult organs including the brain. In the last few years a large number of studies show the aberrant expression and dysfunction of OCT in different types of cancers including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most common malignant primary brain tumor, and contains a subpopulation of undifferentiated stem cells (GSCs), with self-renewal and tumorigenic potential that contribute to tumor initiation, invasion, recurrence, and therapeutic resistance. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge about OCT family in GBM and their crucial role in the initiation, maintenance and drug resistance properties of GSCs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The Oct Transcription Factor Family, edited by Dr. Dean Tantin.