Background Malignant gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors and remain among the most incurable cancers. Although the role of the gap junction protein, connexin43 (Cx43), has been deeply investigated in malignant gliomas, no compounds have been reported with the ability to recapitulate the tumor suppressor properties of this protein in in vivo glioma models. Methods TAT-Cx43266–283 a cell-penetrating peptide which mimics the effect of Cx43 on c-Src inhibition, was studied in orthotopic immunocompetent and immunosuppressed models of glioma. The effects of this peptide in brain cells were also analyzed. Results While glioma stem cell malignant features were strongly affected by TAT-Cx43266–283, these properties were not significantly modified in neurons and astrocytes. Intraperitoneally administered TAT-Cx43266–283 decreased the invasion of intracranial tumors generated by GL261 mouse glioma cells in immunocompetent mice. When human glioma stem cells were intracranially injected with TAT-Cx43266–283 into immunodeficient mice, there was reduced expression of the stemness markers nestin and Sox2 in human glioma cells at 7 days post-implantation. Consistent with the role of Sox2 as a transcription factor required for tumorigenicity, TAT-Cx43266–283 reduced the number and stemness of human glioma cells at 30 days post-implantation. Furthermore, TAT-Cx43266–283 enhanced the survival of immunocompetent mice bearing gliomas derived from murine glioma stem cells. Conclusion TAT-Cx43266–283 reduces the growth, invasion, and progression of malignant gliomas and enhances the survival of glioma-bearing mice without exerting toxicity in endogenous brain cells, which suggests that this peptide could be considered as a new clinical therapy for high-grade gliomas.

Background Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumour and has a very poor prognosis. Inhibition of c-Src activity in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs, responsible for glioblastoma lethality) and primary glioblastoma cells by the peptide TAT-Cx43 266–283 reduces tumorigenicity, and boosts survival in preclinical models. Because c-Src can modulate cell metabolism and several reports revealed poor clinical efficacy of various antitumoral drugs due to metabolic rewiring in cancer cells, here we explored the inhibition of advantageous GSC metabolic plasticity by the c-Src inhibitor TAT-Cx43 266-283 . Methods Metabolic impairment induced by the c-Src inhibitor TAT-Cx43 266-283 in vitro was assessed by fluorometry, western blotting, immunofluorescence, qPCR, enzyme activity assays, electron microscopy, Seahorse analysis, time-lapse imaging, siRNA, and MTT assays. Protein expression in tumours from a xenograft orthotopic glioblastoma mouse model was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Findings TAT-Cx43 266–283 decreased glucose uptake in human GSCs and reduced oxidative phosphorylation without a compensatory increase in glycolysis, with no effect on brain cell metabolism, including rat neurons, human and rat astrocytes, and human neural stem cells. TAT-Cx43 266-283 impaired metabolic plasticity, reducing GSC growth and survival under different nutrient environments. Finally, GSCs intracranially implanted with TAT-Cx43 266–283 showed decreased levels of important metabolic targets for cancer therapy, such as hexokinase-2 and GLUT-3. Interpretation The reduced ability of TAT-Cx43 266-283 –treated GSCs to survive in metabolically challenging settings, such as those with restricted nutrient availability or the ever-changing in vivo environment, allows us to conclude that the advantageous metabolic plasticity of GSCs can be therapeutically exploited through the specific and cell-selective inhibition of c-Src by TAT-Cx43 266-283 . Funding Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FEDER BFU2015-70040-R and FEDER RTI2018-099873-B-I00), Fundación Ramón Areces. Fellowships from the Junta de Castilla y León, European Social Fund, Ministerio de Ciencia and Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC).

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The publisher regrets that due to a production error, a wrong image for HK-1 in Fig. 3, panel d, was used by mistake. The correct image for panel d is as below:The publisher apologises for any inconvenience caused.