Scientists find how one gene change causes a rare brain tumor
Original title: Pseudokinase-converting mutation in protein kinase C alpha drives chordoid glioma by pathway rewiring.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was done on cells in a lab, not in people. It is a very early step.
This was lab work in cells and computer models, with no testing in people.
The short version
Lab tests show a single change in one protein appears to drive chordoid glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary, a rare and slow growing brain tumor.
What was studied. Researchers studied chordoid glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary, a rare, low grade brain tumor. It always carries the same small change, called D463H, in a protein named protein kinase C alpha. The work was done in cells and with computer models, not in patients.
What they found. The change switches the protein off, so it can no longer do its normal job. It also blocks the healthy copies of the protein from working. On top of that, the changed protein starts sticking to other proteins it should not touch. Many of those proteins help brain cells hold on to each other. The team also traced this tumor back to a special kind of brain cell called a tanycyte.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This gives doctors and scientists a clearer picture of what starts this rare tumor. Knowing the cause is the first step toward looking for drugs that target it. It may also help explain why these tumors form where they do.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. The work was done in cells and on computers. No people were treated in this study. There is no new drug or test from this that a patient can ask for. Years of further research would be needed before anything like this could reach everyday care.
Source: PubMed, July 13, 2026 · Read the original
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