Malignant gliomas – tumors of glial cell origin – are uniformly fatal. A better understanding of glioma biology is necessary in order to develop drugs that specifically inhibit tumor growth or lead to tumor cell death. Adenosine triphosphate and endocannabinoids are compounds that have been reported to have cytotoxic effects on glioma cells via an immediate calcium influx that leads to apoptosis. Here we use calcium imaging to examine intracellular calcium responses induced from these compounds in the murine GL261 cell line. Additionally, we use MTT assays to determine the immediate cytotoxic effects of both compounds. In these experiments, calcium responses were found following exposure to ATP but not to endocannabinoids. No effect on cell viability was found with either compound. Further experiments that seek to determine the specific mechanisms underlying ATP-induced membrane permeability to calcium are ongoing. Faculty Sponsor: R. Luke Daniels This project was funded by the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

Adenosine triphosphate and endocannabinoid induced calcium influx in GL261 cells