Identification of a STIM1 Splicing Variant that Promotes Glioblastoma Growth (Adv. Sci. 11/2022)

Abstract

Identification of a STIM1 Splicing Variant In article number 2103940, Guolin Ma, Youjun Wang, Yubin Zhou, Weidong Han, and co-workers report STIM1β – an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein situating at the ER-plasma membrane junction – as a novel splicing variant that is aberrantly upregulated in glioblastoma cells but remains low in immune cells. STIM1β contains a 31-residue extra polypeptide (red switch) that sabotages the intramolecular inhibition machinery to elicit influx of calcium ions (meteor shower), glioma cell growth and migration (analogous to the recent Tonga volcano eruption). Compared to pan-STIM inhibition that tends to cause undesired immunosuppressive effects, targeting STIM1β might offer a solution for more precise glioblastoma intervention.