Regarding the downstream pathways of glioma stem cell apoptosis induced by the inhibition of MDM2, the present results showed that, among other pro-apoptotic BCL2 family members known to be transcriptionally activated by p53 [41], BAX and PUMA played a key role in the p53-mediated apoptotic death of glioma stem cells. This evidence concerns the gene TP53 and central nervous system cancer.