Medulloblastoma, the most prevalent brain tumor among children, requires a comprehensive understanding of its cellular characteristics for effective research and treatment. In this study, we focused on DAOY, a permanent cell line of medulloblastoma, and investigated the unique properties of DAOY cells when cultured as floating multicellular aggregates called spheres, as opposed to adherent monolayers. Through our comprehensive analysis, we identified distinct characteristics associated with DAOY spheres. Our findings demonstrate that DAOY spheres express markers for both neural stem cells, such as CD133 (PROM1), and differentiated neurons, exemplified by MAP2. Additionally, our investigation revealed that spheres-derived cells exhibit heightened resistance to ionizing radiation compared to adherent cells. Consequently, our results indicate that caution is advised when interpreting experimental results obtained from adherent cell cultures and extrapolating them to in vivo situations.

Department of Medical Physics Na Homolce Hospital Roentgenova 2 Prague 5 150 30 Czech Republic

Department of Radiation Dosimetry Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences Na Truhlářce 39 64 Praha 8 180 00 Czech Republic

Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering Czech Technical University Prague Břehová 78 7 Praha 1 11000 Czech Republic

Faculty of Science Charles University Albertov 6 Prague 2 128 00 Czech Republic

Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Vídeňská 1083 Prague 4 142 20 Czech Republic

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