1
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Kozlov AP. Carcino-Evo-Devo, A Theory of the Evolutionary Role of Hereditary Tumors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108611. [PMID: 37239953 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
A theory of the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors, or the carcino-evo-devo theory, is being developed. The main hypothesis of the theory, the hypothesis of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization, posits that hereditary tumors provided additional cell masses during the evolution of multicellular organisms for the expression of evolutionarily novel genes. The carcino-evo-devo theory has formulated several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in the laboratory of the author. It also suggests several nontrivial explanations of biological phenomena previously unexplained by the existing theories or incompletely understood. By considering three major types of biological development-individual, evolutionary, and neoplastic development-within one theoretical framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei P Kozlov
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Gubkina Street, 117971 Moscow, Russia
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, 29 Polytekhnicheskaya Street, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
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2
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Silva VR, Santos LDS, Dias RB, Quadros CA, Bezerra DP. Emerging agents that target signaling pathways to eradicate colorectal cancer stem cells. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2021; 41:1275-1313. [PMID: 34791817 PMCID: PMC8696218 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The modern concept of cancer biology indicates that cancer is formed of a small population of cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs), which present both pluripotency and self-renewal properties. These cells are considered responsible for the progression of the disease, recurrence and tumor resistance. Interestingly, some cell signaling pathways participate in CRC survival, proliferation, and self-renewal properties, and most of them are dysregulated in CSCs, including the Wingless (Wnt)/β-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad pathways. In this review, we summarize the strategies for eradicating CRC stem cells by modulating these dysregulated pathways, which will contribute to the study of potential therapeutic schemes, combining conventional drugs with CSC-targeting drugs, and allowing better cure rates in anti-CRC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valdenizia R Silva
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IGM-FIOCRUZ/BA), Salvador, Bahia, 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Luciano de S Santos
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IGM-FIOCRUZ/BA), Salvador, Bahia, 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Rosane B Dias
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IGM-FIOCRUZ/BA), Salvador, Bahia, 40296-710, Brazil
| | - Claudio A Quadros
- São Rafael Hospital, Rede D'Or/São Luiz, Salvador, Bahia, 41253-190, Brazil.,Bahia State University, Salvador, Bahia, 41150-000, Brazil
| | - Daniel P Bezerra
- Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (IGM-FIOCRUZ/BA), Salvador, Bahia, 40296-710, Brazil
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3
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Khan AQ, Rashid K, AlAmodi AA, Agha MV, Akhtar S, Hakeem I, Raza SS, Uddin S. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer pathogenesis and therapy: An update on the role of ROS in anticancer action of benzophenanthridine alkaloids. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 143:112142. [PMID: 34536761 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species play crucial role in biological homeostasis and pathogenesis of human diseases including cancer. In this line, now it has become evident that ROS level/concentration is a major factor in the growth, progression and stemness of cancer cells. Moreover, cancer cells maintain a delicate balance between ROS and antioxidants to promote pathogenesis and clinical challenges via targeting a battery of signaling pathways converging to cancer hallmarks. Recent findings also entail the therapeutic importance of ROS for the better clinical outcomes in cancer patients as they induce apoptosis and autophagy. Moreover, poor clinical outcomes associated with cancer therapies are the major challenge and use of natural products have been vital in attenuation of these challenges due to their multitargeting potential with less adverse effects. In fact, most available drugs are derived from natural resources, either directly or indirectly and available evidence show the clinical importance of natural products in the management of various diseases, including cancer. ROS play a critical role in the anticancer actions of natural products, particularly phytochemicals. Benzophenanthridine alkaloids of the benzyl isoquinoline family of alkaloids, such as sanguinarine, possess several pharmacological properties and are thus being studied for the treatment of different human diseases, including cancer. In this article, we review recent findings, on how benzophenanthridine alkaloid-induced ROS play a critical role in the attenuation of pathological changes and stemness features associated with human cancers. In addition, we highlight the role of ROS in benzophenanthridine alkaloid-mediated activation of the signaling pathway associated with cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Q Khan
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Khalid Rashid
- Department of Medical Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Maha Victor Agha
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Sabah Akhtar
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Ishrat Hakeem
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Syed Shadab Raza
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Era University, Lucknow, India
| | - Shahab Uddin
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar; Dermatology Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar; Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Rumailah Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha 3050, Qatar; Laboratory Animal Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar.
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4
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Quah SY, Wong CC, Wong HC, Ho KL, Abdul Manan N, Deb PK, Sagineedu SR, Stanslas J. Microarray-based identification of differentially expressed genes associated with andrographolide derivatives-induced resistance in colon and prostate cancer cell lines. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2021; 425:115605. [PMID: 34087331 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2021.115605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemoresistance poses a major hurdle to cancer treatments. Andrographolide-derived SRJ09 and SRJ23 were reported to exhibit potent, selective inhibitory activities against colon and prostate cancer cells, respectively. In this study, previously developed resistant colon (HCT-116rst09) and prostate (PC-3rst23) cancer cell lines were used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to chemoresistance. Cytotoxic effects of SRJ09 and SRJ23 on both parental and resistant cells were investigated. Cell cycle distributions in HCT-116rst09 cells following SRJ09 treatment were analysed using flow cytometry. Whole-genome microarray analysis was performed on both parental and resistant cells to obtain differential gene expression profiles. Microarray data were subjected to protein-protein interaction network, functional enrichment, and pathway analyses. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to validate the changes in expression levels of selected genes. Besides morphological changes, HCT-116rst09 cells showed 7.0-fold resistance to SRJ09 while PC-3rst23 cells displayed a 5.5-fold resistance to SRJ23, as compared with their respective parental cells. G0/G1-phase cell cycle arrest was observed in HCT-116rst09 cells upon SRJ09 treatment. Collectively, 77 and 21 genes were found differentially modulated in HCT-116rst09 and PC-3rst23 cells, respectively. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis revealed several genes associated with FGFR4 and PI3K pathways, and cancer stemness, were chemoresistance mediators in HCT-116rst09 cells. RT-PCR confirmed the HMOX1 upregulation and ATG12 downregulation protected the PC-3rst23 cells from SRJ23 cytotoxicity. In conclusion, acquired chemoresistance to SRJ09 and SRJ23 in colon and prostate cancer cells, respectively, could be attributed to the alterations in the expression of genes such as those related to PI3K and autophagy pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Ying Quah
- Pharmacotherapeutics Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Charng Choon Wong
- Pharmacotherapeutics Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hui Chyn Wong
- Pharmacotherapeutics Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Kok Lian Ho
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nizar Abdul Manan
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Pran Kishore Deb
- Faculty of Pharmacy, P.O.BOX (1), Philadelphia University, 19392 Amman, Jordan
| | - Sreenivasa Rao Sagineedu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Johnson Stanslas
- Pharmacotherapeutics Unit, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
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5
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Akhtar S, Hourani S, Therachiyil L, Al-Dhfyan A, Agouni A, Zeidan A, Uddin S, Korashy HM. Epigenetic Regulation of Cancer Stem Cells by the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Pathway. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 83:177-196. [PMID: 32877761 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Compelling evidence has demonstrated that tumor bulk comprises distinctive subset of cells generally referred as cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have been proposed as a strong sustainer and promoter of tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance. These distinguished properties of CSCs have raised interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern the maintenance of these cells. Numerous experimental and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to environmental toxins such as the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is strongly involved in cancer initiation and progression. The PAH-induced carcinogenesis is shown to be mediated through the activation of a cytosolic receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/Cytochrome P4501A pathway, suggesting a possible direct link between AhR and CSCs. Several recent studies have investigated the role of AhR in CSCs self-renewal and maintenance, however the molecular mechanisms and particularly the epigenetic regulations of CSCs by the AhR/CYP1A pathway have not been reviewed before. In this review, we first summarize the crosstalk between AhR and cancer genetics, with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms relevant to CSCs such as Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, NF-κB, and PTEN-PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. The second part of this review discusses the recent advances and studies highlighting the epigenetic mechanisms mediated by the AhR/CYP1A pathway that control CSC gene expression, self-renewal, and chemoresistance in various human cancers. Furthermore, the review also sheds light on the importance of targeting the epigenetic pathways as a novel therapeutic approach against CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabah Akhtar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Shireen Hourani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Lubna Therachiyil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Abdullah Al-Dhfyan
- Stem Cell & Tissue Re-Engineering, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdelali Agouni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Asad Zeidan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Shahab Uddin
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hesham M Korashy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
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6
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Tumor propagating cells: drivers of tumor plasticity, heterogeneity, and recurrence. Oncogene 2019; 39:2055-2068. [PMID: 31801972 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-1128-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Tumorigenesis is associated with the development of a highly variable pattern of cellular diversity, consequence of genetic and epigenetic diversification, followed by clonal selection and expansion. This process is shaped by the microenvironment and leads to intratumoral heterogeneity, which is characterized by differences between cancer cells in terms of gene expression, phenotypic markers, growth dynamics, and resistance to treatment. Another relevant aspect in intratumor heterogeneity is cell plasticity-the ability of a cell to switch to new identities. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms that regulate cancer cell plasticity within a tumor, and explore the concept of tumor propagating cells, or TPCs, a cancer cell able to propagate/phenocopy the parental tumor and recapitulate tumor heterogeneity. We discuss the influence of the microenvironment and driver mutations on TPCs formation and function, the existence of phenotypically distinct TPC clones within a tumor, the evolution of TPCs with disease progression, and their implications for therapy.
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7
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Sverdlov ED, Chernov IP. Cancer Stem Complex, Not a Cancer Stem Cell, Is the Driver of Cancer Evolution. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2019; 84:1028-1039. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297919090050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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8
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Das B, Pal B, Bhuyan R, Li H, Sarma A, Gayan S, Talukdar J, Sandhya S, Bhuyan S, Gogoi G, Gouw AM, Baishya D, Gotlib JR, Kataki AC, Felsher DW. MYC Regulates the HIF2α Stemness Pathway via Nanog and Sox2 to Maintain Self-Renewal in Cancer Stem Cells versus Non-Stem Cancer Cells. Cancer Res 2019; 79:4015-4025. [PMID: 31266772 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-2847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSC) maintain both undifferentiated self-renewing CSCs and differentiated, non-self-renewing non-CSCs through cellular division. However, molecular mechanisms that maintain self-renewal in CSCs versus non-CSCs are not yet clear. Here, we report that in a transgenic mouse model of MYC-induced T-cell leukemia, MYC, maintains self-renewal in Sca1+ CSCs versus Sca-1- non-CSCs. MYC preferentially bound to the promoter and activated hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF2α) in Sca-1+ cells only. Furthermore, the reprogramming factors, Nanog and Sox2, facilitated MYC regulation of HIF2α in Sca-1+ versus Sca-1- cells. Reduced expression of HIF2α inhibited the self-renewal of Sca-1+ cells; this effect was blocked through suppression of ROS by N-acetyl cysteine or the knockdown of p53, Nanog, or Sox2. Similar results were seen in ABCG2+ CSCs versus ABCG2- non-CSCs from primary human T-cell lymphoma. Thus, MYC maintains self-renewal exclusively in CSCs by selectively binding to the promoter and activating the HIF2α stemness pathway. Identification of this stemness pathway as a unique CSC determinant may have significant therapeutic implications. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings show that the HIF2α stemness pathway maintains leukemic stem cells downstream of MYC in human and mouse T-cell leukemias. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/79/16/4015/F1.large.jpg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bikul Das
- Division of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. .,Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Thoreau Laboratory for Global Health, M2D2, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Bidisha Pal
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Thoreau Laboratory for Global Health, M2D2, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Rashmi Bhuyan
- Division of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.,Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Thoreau Laboratory for Global Health, M2D2, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Hong Li
- Division of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Thoreau Laboratory for Global Health, M2D2, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Anupam Sarma
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Sukanya Gayan
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Thoreau Laboratory for Global Health, M2D2, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Joyeeta Talukdar
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Sorra Sandhya
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Seema Bhuyan
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Gayatri Gogoi
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Department of Pathology, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, Assam, India
| | - Arvin M Gouw
- Division of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Debabrat Baishya
- Department of Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, KaviKrishna Laboratory, Guwahati Biotech Park, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam, India.,Department of Bioengineering and Technology, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Jason R Gotlib
- Division of Hematology, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, California
| | - Amal C Kataki
- Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati, Assam, India
| | - Dean W Felsher
- Division of Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
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9
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Shiraiwa K, Matsuse M, Nakazawa Y, Ogi T, Suzuki K, Saenko V, Xu S, Umezawa K, Yamashita S, Tsukamoto K, Mitsutake N. JAK/STAT3 and NF-κB Signaling Pathways Regulate Cancer Stem-Cell Properties in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells. Thyroid 2019; 29:674-682. [PMID: 30784360 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2018.0212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most aggressive and refractory cancers, and a therapy with a new concept needs to be developed. Recently, research on cancer stem cells (CSCs) has progressed, and CSCs have been suggested to be responsible for metastasis, recurrence, and therapy resistance. In ATC-CSCs, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is the most reliable marker to enrich CSCs. However, it is just a marker and is not involved in CSC properties. The present study therefore aimed to identify key signaling pathways specific for ATC-CSCs. Methods: A small interfering RNA library targeting 719 kinases was used in a sphere formation assay and cell survival assay using ATC cell lines to select target molecules specific for CSC properties. The functions of the selected candidates were confirmed by sphere formation, cell survival, soft agar, and nude mice xenograft assays using small compound inhibitors. Results: The study focused on PDGFR, JAK, and PIM, whose small interfering RNAs had a higher inhibitory effect on sphere formation, as well as a lower or no effect on regular cell growth in both FRO and KTC3 cells. Next, inhibitors of PDGFR, JAK, STAT3, PIM and NF-κB were used, and all of them successfully suppressed sphere formation in a dose-dependent manner but not regular cell growth, confirming the screening results. Inhibition of the JAK/STAT3 and NF-κB pathways also reduced anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and tumor growth in nude mice. Conclusions: These results suggest that JAK/STAT3 and NF-κB signals play important roles in ATC-CSCs. Targeting these signaling pathways may be a promising approach to treat ATC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Shiraiwa
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- 2 Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Michiko Matsuse
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yuka Nakazawa
- 3 Department of Genome Repair, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Tomoo Ogi
- 3 Department of Genome Repair, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Keiji Suzuki
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Vladimir Saenko
- 4 Department of Radiation Molecular Epidemiology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Shuhang Xu
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kazuo Umezawa
- 5 Department of Molecular Target Medicine, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shunichi Yamashita
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Tsukamoto
- 2 Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Norisato Mitsutake
- 1 Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
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10
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Han SH, Kim JW, Kim M, Kim JH, Lee KW, Kim BH, Oh HK, Kim DW, Kang SB, Kim H, Shin E. Prognostic implication of ABC transporters and cancer stem cell markers in patients with stage III colon cancer receiving adjuvant FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy. Oncol Lett 2019; 17:5572-5580. [PMID: 31186779 PMCID: PMC6507487 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cell (CSC) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are associated with treatment resistance and outcomes of patients with cancer. The present study investigated the prognostic implications of pre-therapeutic expression of ABC transporters and CSC markers in patients with colon cancer (CC) who received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin combination therapy (FOLFOX-4). The immunohistochemical expression of 3 ABC transporters, including ABC subfamily C member 2 (ABCC2), ABCC3 and ABC subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2), and 3 CSC markers, including sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2), leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1, were determined in 164 CC tissues from patients with stage III CC, who underwent postoperative FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy. The association between the protein expression and patients' prognoses was statistically analyzed. ABCG2 was associated with favorable overall survival rate (OS; P=0.001), and ABCC2, ABCG2 and SOX2 were associated with increased disease-free survival rate (DFS; P=0.001, 0.002 and 0.013, respectively). In multivariate analyses, ABCG2 was an independent prognostic factor for OS [hazard ratio (HR)=2.877; P=0.046], and ABCC2 and SOX2 were independent prognostic factors for DFS (HR=2.831; P=0.014; HR=2.558, P=0.020, respectively). ABCC2, ABCG2 and SOX2 may be promising prognostic markers for patients with CC receiving FOLFOX-4 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Hee Han
- Department of Pathology, Dong-A University School of Medicine, Busan, South Gyeongsang 49201, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Won Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Milim Kim
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun-Wook Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo-Hyung Kim
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Heung-Kwon Oh
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Duck-Woo Kim
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Bum Kang
- Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyunchul Kim
- Department of Pathology, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi 18450, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Shin
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 13620, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi 18450, Republic of Korea
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11
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Abstract
Life starts with a zygote, which is formed by the fusion of a haploid sperm and egg. The formation of a blastomere by cleavage division (nuclear division without an increase in cell size) is the first step in embryogenesis, after the formation of the zygote. Blastomeres are responsible for reprogramming the parental genome as a new embryonic genome for generation of the pluripotent stem cells which then differentiate by Waddington's epigenetic landscape to create a new life. Multiple authors over the past 150 years have proposed that tumors arises from development gone awry at a point within Waddington's landscape. Recent discoveries showing that differentiated somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, and that somatic cell nuclear transfer can be used to successfully clone animals, have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of tumor development and origin. Differentiated somatic cells are plastic and can be induced to dedifferentiate into pluripotent stem cells. Here, I review the evidence that suggests somatic cells may have a previously overlooked endogenous embryonic program that can be activated to dedifferentiate somatic cells into stem cells of various potencies for tumor initiation. Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs) have long been observed in cancer and were thought originally to be nondividing. Contrary to this belief, recent findings show that stress-induced PGCCs divide by endoreplication, which may recapitulate the pattern of cleavage-like division in blastomeres and lead to dedifferentiation of somatic cells by a programmed process known as "the giant cell cycle", which comprise four distinct but overlapping phases: initiation, self-renewal, termination and stability. Depending on the intensity and type of stress, different levels of dedifferentiation result in the formation of tumors of different grades of malignancy. Based on these results, I propose a unified dualistic model to demonstrate the origin of human tumors. The tenet of this model includes four points, as follows. 1. Tumors originate from a stem cell at a specific developmental hierarchy, which can be achieved by dualistic origin: dedifferentiation of the zygote formed by two haploid gametes (sexual reproduction) via the blastomere during normal development, or transformation from damaged or aged mature somatic cells via a blastomere-like embryonic program (asexual reproduction). 2. Initiation of the tumor begins with a stem cell that has uncoupled the differentiation from the proliferation program which results in stem cell maturation arrest. 3. The developmental hierarchy at which stem cells arrest determines the degree of malignancy: the more primitive the level at which stem cells arrest, the greater the likelihood of the tumor being malignant. 4. Environmental factors and intrinsic genetic or epigenetic alterations represent the risk factors or stressors that facilitate stem cell arrest and somatic cell dedifferentiation. However, they, per se, are not the driving force of tumorigenesis. Thus, the birth of a tumor can be viewed as a triad that originates from a stem cell via dedifferentiation through a blastomere or blastomere-like program, which then differentiates along Waddington's landscape, and arrests at a developmental hierarchy. Blocking the PGCC-mediated dedifferentiation process and inducing their differentiation may represent a novel alternative approach to eliminate the tumor occurrence and therapeutic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsong Liu
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030-4095, United States.
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12
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Matsunaga N, Ogino T, Hara Y, Tanaka T, Koyanagi S, Ohdo S. Optimized dosing schedule based on circadian dynamics of mouse breast cancer stem cells improves the anti-tumor effects of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Cancer Res 2018; 78:3698-3708. [DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-4034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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13
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Wang J, Wang W, Cai H, Du B, Zhang L, Ma W, Hu Y, Feng S, Miao G. MACC1 facilitates chemoresistance and cancer stem cell‑like properties of colon cancer cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:8747-8754. [PMID: 28990068 PMCID: PMC5779950 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
With regards to colon cancer, resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered important factors underlying therapy failure. Metastasis-associated colon cancer 1 (MACC1) has been associated with poor prognosis and the promotion of metastasis within several types of cancer. However, the biological behavior of MACC1 in chemoresistance and CSC-like properties remains unclear. In the present study, various methods including gene knockdown, gene overexpression, western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction and MTT assay, have been adopted. According to the results of the present study, MACC1 was depleted in two colon cancer cell lines resistant to 5-FU; subsequently, CSC-like properties and 5-FU sensitivity were investigated. Within 5-FU-resistant cells, cell death was facilitated by MACC1 knockdown. Furthermore, sphere formation and the expression levels of pluripotent markers, including cluster of differentiation (CD) 44, CD133 and Nanog were reduced due to MACC1 depletion. Additionally, it was indicated that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway may be associated with 5-FU resistance and CSC-like properties via MACC1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiankai Wang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Department of Physical Examination Center, The Third People's Hospital of Gansu, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Hongyi Cai
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Binbin Du
- Department of Anorectal Surgery, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Wen Ma
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Yongguo Hu
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Shifang Feng
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
| | - Guoying Miao
- Department of Radiotherapy, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, P.R. China
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Singh VK, Saini A, Chandra R. The Implications and Future Perspectives of Nanomedicine for Cancer Stem Cell Targeted Therapies. Front Mol Biosci 2017; 4:52. [PMID: 28785557 PMCID: PMC5520001 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2017.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to exhibit distinctive self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation capabilities, and thus play a significant role in various aspects of cancer. CSCs have significant impacts on the progression of tumors, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis in different types of malignancies. Due to their primary role, most researchers have focused on developing anti-CSC therapeutic strategies, and tremendous efforts have been put to explore methods for selective eradication of these therapeutically resistant CSCs. In recent years, many reports have shown the use of CSCs-specific approaches such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, blockade of self-renewal and survival of CSCs, CSCs surface markers targeted drugs delivery and eradication of the tumor microenvironment. Also, various therapeutic agents such as small molecule drugs, nucleic acids, and antibodies are said to destroy CSCs selectively. Targeted drug delivery holds the key to the success of most of the anti-CSCs based drugs/therapies. The convention CSCs-specific therapeutic agents, suffer from various problems. For instance, limited water solubility, small circulation time and inconsistent stability of conventional therapeutic agents have significantly limited their efficacy. Recent advancement in the drug delivery technology has demonstrated that specially designed nanocarrier-based drug delivery approaches (nanomedicine) can be useful in delivering sufficient amount of drug molecules even in the most interiors of CSCs niches and thus can overcome the limitations associated with the conventional free drug delivery methods. The nanomedicine has also been promising in designing effective therapeutic regime against pump-mediated drug resistance (ATP-driven) and reduces detrimental effects on normal stem cells. Here we focus on the biological processes regulating CSCs' drug resistance and various strategies developed so far to deal with them. We also review the various nanomedicine approaches developed so far to overcome these CSCs related issues and their future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimal K. Singh
- Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Delhi Technological UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Abhishek Saini
- Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Delhi Technological UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Ramesh Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of DelhiNew Delhi, India
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15
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Gharib AF, Shalaby SM, Raafat N, Fawzy WMS, Abdel Hakim NH. Assessment of neutralizing interleukin-4 effect on CD133 gene expression in colon cancer cell line. Cytokine 2017; 97:66-72. [PMID: 28578295 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2017.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer may be maintained by cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) that express the cell surface marker CD133. CSCs (CD133+cells) exhibits greater resistance to the chemotherapy and this resistance may be mediated in part by an autocrine response to IL4. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of anti-IL4 antibody alone or in combination with chemotherapy on the CD133 expression andthe tumor growth. We used Caco cell line in our experiments and the samples were as the following; untreated colorectal cell line, cells treated by chemotherapy, cells treated by anti-IL4 antibody in 3doses (2.5, 5, 10μg/ml), cells treatedby combination of chemotherapy and anti-IL4 antibody in 3 doses. Results of our in vitro studies demonstrated that anti-IL4 inhibited growth of Caco cell line in a dose-dependent manner revealing a 32.11% inhibition at the highest concentration (10µg/ml). There was further significant inhibition by combination of anti IL4 and chemotherapy in a dose response manner when compared to group treated by chemotherapy only. These effects were associated with decreased expression of CD133 in tumor cells also. Lastly, anti-IL4 antibody stimulated apoptosis. Our study suggested that neutralizing of IL4 by anti IL4 antibody affect the CD133+ cells may be by increasing their apoptosis. The effects of anti IL4 antibody either, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, inhibited the tumor growth and decreased the viable tumor cells. Furthermore, neutralizing of IL4 increased the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal F Gharib
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Sally M Shalaby
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Nermin Raafat
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Walaa M S Fawzy
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
| | - Nabila H Abdel Hakim
- Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
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16
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Teryukova NP, Sakhenberg EI, Ivanov VA, Snopov SA. Establishment and characterization of clonal lines with cancer stem- and progenitor-cell properties from monolayer Zajdela hepatoma. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1990519x17020079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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17
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Bassani B, Bartolini D, Pagani A, Principi E, Zollo M, Noonan DM, Albini A, Bruno A. Fenretinide (4-HPR) Targets Caspase-9, ERK 1/2 and the Wnt3a/β-Catenin Pathway in Medulloblastoma Cells and Medulloblastoma Cell Spheroids. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154111. [PMID: 27367907 PMCID: PMC4930187 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Medulloblastoma (MB), a neuroectodermal tumor arising in the cerebellum, represents the most frequent childhood brain malignancy. Current treatments for MB combine radiation and chemotherapy and are often associated with relevant side effects; novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4-HPR, fenretinide), a synthetic analogue of all-trans retinoic acid, has emerged as a promising and well-tolerated cancer chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent for various neoplasms, from breast cancer to neuroblastoma. Here we investigated the effects of 4-HPR on MB cell lines and identified the mechanism of action for a potential use in therapy of MB. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to evaluate 4-HPR induction of apoptosis and oxygen reactive species (ROS) production, as well as cell cycle effects. Functional analysis to determine 4-HPR ability to interfere with MB cell migration and invasion were performed. Western Blot analysis were used to investigate the crucial molecules involved in selected signaling pathways associated with apoptosis (caspase-9 and PARP-1), cell survival (ERK 1/2) and tumor progression (Wnt3a and β-catenin). We show that 4-HPR induces caspase 9-dependent cell death in DAOY and ONS-76 cells, associated with increased ROS generation, suggesting that free radical intermediates might be directly involved. We observed 4-HPR induction of cell cycle arrest in G1/S phase, inactivated β-catenin, and inhibition of MB cell migration and invasion. We also evaluated the ability of 4-HPR to target MB cancer-stem/cancer-initiating cells, using an MB spheroids model, followed by flow cytometry and quantitative real-time PCR. 4-HPR treatment reduced DAOY and ONS-76 spheroid formation, in term of number and size. Decreased expression of the surface markers CD133+ and ABCG2+ as well as Oct-4 and Sox-2 gene expression were observed on BTICs treated with 4-HPR further reducing BITIC invasive activities. Finally, we analyzed 4-HPR ability to inhibit MB tumor cell growth in vivo in nude mice. Taken together, our data suggest that 4-HPR targets both parental and MB tumor stem/initiating cell-like populations. Since 4-HPR exerts low toxicity, it could represent a valid compound in the treatment of human MB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Bassani
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Arianna Pagani
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Principi
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Zollo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
- Ceinge Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy
| | - Douglas M. Noonan
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Adriana Albini
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Antonino Bruno
- Scientific and Technological Pole, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
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18
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Ullah N, Liaqat S, Fatima S, Zehra F, Anwer M, Sadiq M. Stem cells and cancer: A review. ASIAN PACIFIC JOURNAL OF TROPICAL DISEASE 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s2222-1808(15)61057-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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19
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Kondratyeva LG, Vinogradova TV, Chernov IP, Sverdlov ED. Master transcription regulators specifying cell-lineage fates in development as possible therapeutic targets in oncology. RUSS J GENET+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1022795415100099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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20
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Shen S, Xia JX, Wang J. Nanomedicine-mediated cancer stem cell therapy. Biomaterials 2015; 74:1-18. [PMID: 26433488 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Circumstantial evidence suggests that most tumours are heterogeneous and contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that exhibit distinctive self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation capabilities, which are believed to play a crucial role in tumour progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis in multiple malignancies. Given that the existence of CSCs is a primary obstacle to cancer therapy, a tremendous amount of effort has been put into the development of anti-CSC strategies, and several potential approaches to kill therapeutically-resistant CSCs have been explored, including inhibiting ATP-binding cassette transporters, blocking essential signalling pathways involved in self-renewal and survival of CSCs, targeting CSCs surface markers and destroying the tumour microenvironment. Meanwhile, an increasing number of therapeutic agents (e.g. small molecule drugs, nucleic acids and antibodies) to selectively target CSCs have been screened or proposed in recent years. Drug delivery technology-based approaches hold great potential for tackling the limitations impeding clinical applications of CSC-specific agents, such as poor water solubility, short circulation time and inconsistent stability. Properly designed nanocarrier-based therapeutic agents (or nanomedicines) offer new possibilities of penetrating CSC niches and significantly increasing therapeutic drug accumulation in CSCs, which are difficult for free drug counterparts. In addition, intelligent nanomedicine holds great promise to overcome pump-mediated multidrug resistance which is driven by ATP and to decrease detrimental effects on normal somatic stem cells. In this review, we summarise the distinctive biological processes related to CSCs to highlight strategies against inherently drug-resistant CSCs. We then focus on some representative examples that give a glimpse into state-of-the-art nanomedicine approaches developed for CSCs elimination. A perspective on innovative therapeutic strategies and the potential direction of nanomedicine-based CSC therapy in the near future is also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Shen
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China
| | - Jin-Xing Xia
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China.
| | - Jun Wang
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China; Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, PR China; High Magnetic Field Laboratory of CAS, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China.
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21
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Lu M, Lu H, Kong Q. Leading causes of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2015; 15:425-32. [PMID: 25645203 DOI: 10.1586/14737140.2015.1007957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Androgen receptor has a key role in the initiation and progression of PCa. Currently, androgen deprivation therapy is the standard treatment for PCa patients due to its effective suppression of androgen receptor signaling. Even though androgen deprivation therapy shows its initial effectiveness on shrinking tumor size, it eventually fails to cure advanced PCa, which is determined by the occurrence of castration-resistance. In this review, we summarize the widely accepted mechanisms that account for castration-resistant PCa and discuss potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingqian Lu
- Clinical Medical College, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430061, Hubei province, China
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22
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Teodorczyk M, Kleber S, Wollny D, Sefrin JP, Aykut B, Mateos A, Herhaus P, Sancho-Martinez I, Hill O, Gieffers C, Sykora J, Weichert W, Eisen C, Trumpp A, Sprick MR, Bergmann F, Welsch T, Martin-Villalba A. CD95 promotes metastatic spread via Sck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cell Death Differ 2015; 22:1192-202. [PMID: 25613377 PMCID: PMC4572867 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2014.217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Revised: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated in the initiation and maintenance of tumour growth as well as metastasis. Recent reports link stemness to epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer. However, there is still little knowledge about the molecular markers of those events. In silico analysis of RNA profiles of 36 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) reveals an association of the expression of CD95 with EMT and stemness that was validated in CSCs isolated from PDAC surgical specimens. CD95 expression was also higher in metastatic pancreatic cells than in primary PDAC. Pharmacological inhibition of CD95 activity reduced PDAC growth and metastasis in CSC-derived xenografts and in a murine syngeneic model. On the mechanistic level, Sck was identified as a novel molecule indispensable for CD95's induction of cell cycle progression. This study uncovers CD95 as a marker of EMT and stemness in PDAC. It also addresses the molecular mechanism by which CD95 drives tumour growth and opens tantalizing therapeutic possibilities in PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Teodorczyk
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S Kleber
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - D Wollny
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - J P Sefrin
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - B Aykut
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Mateos
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - P Herhaus
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - I Sancho-Martinez
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - O Hill
- Apogenix GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - J Sykora
- Apogenix GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - W Weichert
- Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C Eisen
- 1] Division of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany [2] Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Trumpp
- 1] Division of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany [2] Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany [3] German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M R Sprick
- 1] Division of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany [2] Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - F Bergmann
- Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - T Welsch
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Martin-Villalba
- Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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23
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Tarabichi M, Antoniou A, Saiselet M, Pita JM, Andry G, Dumont JE, Detours V, Maenhaut C. Systems biology of cancer: entropy, disorder, and selection-driven evolution to independence, invasion and "swarm intelligence". Cancer Metastasis Rev 2014; 32:403-21. [PMID: 23615877 PMCID: PMC3843370 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-013-9431-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Our knowledge of the biology of solid cancer has greatly progressed during the last few years, and many excellent reviews dealing with the various aspects of this biology have appeared. In the present review, we attempt to bring together these subjects in a general systems biology narrative. It starts from the roles of what we term entropy of signaling and noise in the initial oncogenic events, to the first major transition of tumorigenesis: the independence of the tumor cell and the switch in its physiology, i.e., from subservience to the organism to its own independent Darwinian evolution. The development after independence involves a constant dynamic reprogramming of the cells and the emergence of a sort of collective intelligence leading to invasion and metastasis and seldom to the ultimate acquisition of immortality through inter-individual infection. At each step, the probability of success is minimal to infinitesimal, but the number of cells possibly involved and the time scale account for the relatively high occurrence of tumorigenesis and metastasis in multicellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - J. M. Pita
- IRIBHM, Brussels, Belgium
- UIPM, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOFG) and CEDOC, FCM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - G. Andry
- J. Bordet Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | - C. Maenhaut
- IRIBHM, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO, Wallonia, Belgium
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24
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Trépant AL, Bouchart C, Rorive S, Sauvage S, Decaestecker C, Demetter P, Salmon I. Identification of OLIG2 as the most specific glioblastoma stem cell marker starting from comparative analysis of data from similar DNA chip microarray platforms. Tumour Biol 2014; 36:1943-53. [PMID: 25384509 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-014-2800-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in surgical and adjuvant treatments, overall survival of glioblastoma (GBM) patients remains poor. The cancer stem cell concept suggests that a rare stem cell population, called glioma stem cells (GSCs), has high ability to self-renewal leading to recurrence in GBM. The identification of specific markers of GSCs would provide a powerful tool to detect and to characterise them in order to develop targeted therapies. We carried out a comparative analysis based on the identification of inter-study concordances to identify the genes that exhibit at best differential levels of expression between GSC-enriched cell cultures and differentiated tumour cell cultures from independent studies using DNA chip microarray technologies. We finally studied the protein expression of the marker we considered the most specific by immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative analysis on a retrospective series of 18 GBMs. Of the selected studies, 32 genes were retained. Among them, eight genes were identified to be overexpressed in GSC-enriched cultures compared to differentiated tumour cell cultures. Finally, among the eight genes, oligodendrocyte lineage transcription factor 2 (OLIG2) was characterised by the most different expression level in the "GSC model" compared to the "differentiated tumour cells model". Our approach suggests that OLIG2 is the most specific GSC marker; additional investigations with careful considerations about methodology and strategies of validation are, however, mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Laure Trépant
- Department of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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25
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Menendez JA, Alarcón T. Metabostemness: a new cancer hallmark. Front Oncol 2014; 4:262. [PMID: 25325014 PMCID: PMC4179679 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The acquisition of and departure from stemness in cancer tissues might not only be hardwired by genetic controllers, but also by the pivotal regulatory role of the cellular metabotype, which may act as a "starter dough" for cancer stemness traits. We have coined the term metabostemness to refer to the metabolic parameters causally controlling or functionally substituting the epitranscriptional orchestration of the genetic reprograming that redirects normal and tumor cells toward less-differentiated cancer stem cell (CSC) cellular states. Certain metabotypic alterations might operate as pivotal molecular events rendering a cell of origin susceptible to epigenetic rewiring required for the acquisition of aberrant stemness and, concurrently, of refractoriness to differentiation. The metabostemness attribute can remove, diminish, or modify the nature of molecular barriers present in Waddington's epigenetic landscapes, thus allowing differentiated cells to more easily (re)-enter into CSC cellular macrostates. Activation of the metabostemness trait can poise cells with chromatin states competent for rapid dedifferentiation while concomitantly setting the idoneous metabolic stage for later reprograming stimuli to finish the journey from non-cancerous into tumor-initiating cells. Because only a few permitted metabotypes will be compatible with the operational properties owned by CSC cellular states, the metabostemness property provides a new framework through which to pharmacologically resolve the apparently impossible problem of discovering drugs aimed to target the molecular biology of the cancer stemness itself. The metabostemness cancer hallmark generates a shifting oncology theory that should guide a new era of metabolo-epigenetic cancer precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Menendez
- Metabolism and Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona) , Girona , Spain ; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI) , Girona , Spain
| | - Tomás Alarcón
- Computational and Mathematical Biology Research Group, Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM) , Barcelona , Spain
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Stem cells, colorectal cancer and cancer stem cell markers correlations. CURRENT HEALTH SCIENCES JOURNAL 2014; 40:153-61. [PMID: 25729599 PMCID: PMC4340434 DOI: 10.12865/chsj.40.03.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
: The idea of stem cells as being progenitors of cancer was initially controversial, but later supported by research in the field of leukemia and solid tumors. Afterwards, it was established that genetic abnormalities can affect the stem and progenitor cells, leading to uncontrolled replication and deregulated differentiation. These alterations will cause the changeover to cancerous stem cells (CSC) having two main characteristics: tumor initiation and maintenance. This review will focus on the colorectal cancer stem cell (CR-CSCs) theory which provides a better understanding of different tumor processes: initiation, aggressive growth, recurrence, treatment resistance and metastasis. A search in PubMed/Medline was performed using the following keywords: colorectal cancer stem cells (CR-CSCs), colorectal neoplasms stem cells, colorectal cancer stem cell (CR-CSCs) markers, etc. Electronic searches were supplemented by hand searching reference lists, abstracts and proceedings from meetings. Isolation of CR-CSCs can be achieved by targeting and selecting subpopulation of tumor cells based on expression of one or multiple cell surface markers associated with cancer self-renewal, markers as: CD133, CD166, CD44, CD24, beta1 integrin-CD29, Lgr5, EpCAM (ESA), ALDH-1, Msi-1, DCAMLK1 or EphB receptors. The identification and localization of CR-CSCs through different markers will hopefully lead to a better stratification of prognosis and treatment response, as well as the development of new effective strategies for cancer management.
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Oliver JA, Ortiz R, Melguizo C, Álvarez PJ, Gómez-Millán J, Prados J. Prognostic impact of MGMT promoter methylation and MGMT and CD133 expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma. BMC Cancer 2014; 14:511. [PMID: 25015560 PMCID: PMC4227111 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New biomarkers are needed for the prognosis of advanced colorectal cancer, which remains incurable by conventional treatments. O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation and protein expression have been related to colorectal cancer treatment failure and tumor progression. Moreover, the presence in these tumors of cancer stem cells, which are characterized by CD133 expression, has been associated with chemoresistance, radioresistance, metastasis, and local recurrence. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of CD133 and MGMT and their possible interaction in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS MGMT and CD133 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 123 paraffin-embedded colorectal adenocarcinoma samples, obtaining the percentage staining and intensity. MGMT promoter methylation status was obtained by using bisulfite modification and methylation-specific PCR (MSP). These values were correlated with clinical data, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), tumor stage, and differentiation grade. RESULTS Low MGMT expression intensity was significantly correlated with shorter OS and was a prognostic factor independently of treatment and histopathological variables. High percentage of CD133 expression was significantly correlated with shorter DFS but was not an independent factor. Patients with low-intensity MGMT expression and ≥50% CD133 expression had the poorest DFS and OS outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the hypothesis that MGMT expression may be an OS biomarker as useful as tumor stage or differentiation grade and that CD133 expression may be a predictive biomarker of DFS. Thus, MGMT and CD133 may both be useful for determining the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients and to identify those requiring more aggressive adjuvant therapies. Future studies will be necessary to determine its clinical utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Antonio Oliver
- Institute of Biopathology and Regenerative Medicine (IBIMER), University of Granada, Granada 18100, Spain
| | - Raúl Ortiz
- Institute of Biopathology and Regenerative Medicine (IBIMER), University of Granada, Granada 18100, Spain
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Jaén, Jaén 23071, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Consolación Melguizo
- Institute of Biopathology and Regenerative Medicine (IBIMER), University of Granada, Granada 18100, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, Granada 18012, Spain
| | - Pablo Juan Álvarez
- Institute of Biopathology and Regenerative Medicine (IBIMER), University of Granada, Granada 18100, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Jaime Gómez-Millán
- Radiation Oncology Department, Hospital Clinico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Jose Prados
- Institute of Biopathology and Regenerative Medicine (IBIMER), University of Granada, Granada 18100, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, Granada 18012, Spain
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Abstract
Despite intense research efforts that have provided enormous insight, cancer continues to be a poorly understood disease. There has been much debate over whether the cancerous state can be said to originate in a single cell or whether it is a reflection of aberrant behaviour on the part of a 'society of cells'. This article presents, in the form of a debate conducted among the authors, three views of how the problem might be addressed. We do not claim that the views exhaust all possibilities. These views are (a) the tissue organization field theory (TOFT) that is based on a breakdown of tissue organization involving many cells from different embryological layers, (b) the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis that focuses on genetic and epigenetic changes that take place within single cells, and (c) the proposition that rewiring of the cell's protein interaction networks mediated by intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) drives the tumorigenic process. The views are based on different philosophical approaches. In detail, they differ on some points and agree on others. It is left to the reader to decide whether one approach to understanding cancer appears more promising than the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Sonnenschein
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA
- Centre Cavaillès, École Normale Supérieure, 45 rue d’Ulm, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ana M Soto
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA
- Centre Cavaillès, École Normale Supérieure, 45 rue d’Ulm, Paris 75005, France
| | - Annapoorni Rangarajan
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India
| | - Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Urology and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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Zhou X, Gao Q, Wang J, Zhang X, Liu K, Duan Z. Linc-RNA-RoR acts as a "sponge" against mediation of the differentiation of endometrial cancer stem cells by microRNA-145. Gynecol Oncol 2014; 133:333-9. [PMID: 24589415 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2014.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Recently, large intergenic non-coding ribonucleic acids-RoR (linc-RoR) was reported to regulate expression of core stem cell transcription factors (TFs), but its role in endometrial tumorsphere is still unknown. METHODS Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to characterize linc-RoR expression in ETs. After construction of adenovirus vectors carrying green fluorescent protein (GFP), these vectors were transfected into ETs to estimate the effects of overexpression or knocked down expression of miR-145, linc-RoR or Dicer. Flow cytometry was employed to ascertain transfection efficiency, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to compare their levels. Colony formation was analyzed using cultured gelatin-coated tissue cultures. miR-145 potential targeting sites in linc-RoR were mutated using a site-directed mutagenesis kit to verify its competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) effects. RESULTS Expression of linc-RoR and core stem cell TFs was associated with the pluripotent state of ETs, whereas miR-145 expression increased after ET differentiation. Greater expression of miR-145 could lead to down-regulation of linc-RoR and core TFs, and decreased colony formation. Converse effects could be achieved after knocked-down miR-145 expression. The effects of miR-145 could be eliminated after increasing the expression of linc-RoR in ETs or mutated targeted sequences in linc-RoR. Knocked-down Dicer expression could improve the expression of linc-RoR and core TFs. CONCLUSIONS Linc-RoR is a ceRNA and acts as a miR-145 "sponge" to inhibit mediation of the differentiation of ETs by miR-145. These results suggest that linc-RoR has an important role during endometrial carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, PR China; Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei 442000, PR China
| | - Qin Gao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, PR China
| | - Jianzhong Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010030, PR China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, PR China
| | - Kaige Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, Shaanxi 710077, PR China
| | - Zhao Duan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, PR China.
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Tumor initiating cells and chemoresistance: which is the best strategy to target colon cancer stem cells? BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:859871. [PMID: 24527460 PMCID: PMC3914574 DOI: 10.1155/2014/859871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is an emerging body of evidence that chemoresistance and minimal residual disease result from selective resistance of a cell subpopulation from the original tumor that is molecularly and phenotypically distinct. These cells are called “cancer stem cells” (CSCs). In this review, we analyze the potential targeting strategies for eradicating CSCs specifically in order to develop more effective therapeutic strategies for metastatic colon cancer. These include induction of terminal epithelial differentiation of CSCs or targeting some genes expressed only in CSCs and involved in self-renewal and chemoresistance. Ideal targets could be cell regulators that simultaneously control the stemness and the resistance of CSCs. Another important aspect of cancer biology, which can also be harnessed to create novel broad-spectrum anticancer agents, is the Warburg effect, also known as aerobic glycolysis. Actually, little is yet known with regard to the metabolism of CSCs population, leaving an exciting unstudied avenue in the dawn of the emerging field of metabolomics.
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Menendez JA, Alarcón T, Corominas-Faja B, Cuyàs E, López-Bonet E, Martin AG, Vellon L. Xenopatients 2.0: reprogramming the epigenetic landscapes of patient-derived cancer genomes. Cell Cycle 2014; 13:358-70. [PMID: 24406535 DOI: 10.4161/cc.27770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In the science-fiction thriller film Minority Report, a specialized police department called "PreCrime" apprehends criminals identified in advance based on foreknowledge provided by 3 genetically altered humans called "PreCogs". We propose that Yamanaka stem cell technology can be similarly used to (epi)genetically reprogram tumor cells obtained directly from cancer patients and create self-evolving personalized translational platforms to foresee the evolutionary trajectory of individual tumors. This strategy yields a large stem cell population and captures the cancer genome of an affected individual, i.e., the PreCog-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cancer cells, which are immediately available for experimental manipulation, including pharmacological screening for personalized "stemotoxic" cancer drugs. The PreCog-iPS cancer cells will re-differentiate upon orthotopic injection into the corresponding target tissues of immunodeficient mice (i.e., the PreCrime-iPS mouse avatars), and this in vivo model will run through specific cancer stages to directly explore their biological properties for drug screening, diagnosis, and personalized treatment in individual patients. The PreCog/PreCrime-iPS approach can perform sets of comparisons to directly observe changes in the cancer-iPS cell line vs. a normal iPS cell line derived from the same human genetic background. Genome editing of PreCog-iPS cells could create translational platforms to directly investigate the link between genomic expression changes and cellular malignization that is largely free from genetic and epigenetic noise and provide proof-of-principle evidence for cutting-edge "chromosome therapies" aimed against cancer aneuploidy. We might infer the epigenetic marks that correct the tumorigenic nature of the reprogrammed cancer cell population and normalize the malignant phenotype in vivo. Genetically engineered models of conditionally reprogrammable mice to transiently express the Yamanaka stemness factors following the activation of phenotypic copies of specific cancer diseases might crucially evaluate a "reprogramming cure" for cancer. A new era of xenopatients 2.0 generated via nuclear reprogramming of the epigenetic landscapes of patient-derived cancer genomes might revolutionize the current personalized translational platforms in cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Menendez
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology; Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology Group; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Tomás Alarcón
- Computational & Mathematical Biology Research Group; Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM); Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bruna Corominas-Faja
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology; Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology Group; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Elisabet Cuyàs
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology; Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology Group; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Eugeni López-Bonet
- Department of Anatomical Pathology; Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital of Girona; Girona, Spain
| | | | - Luciano Vellon
- IBYME; CONICET-Laboratorio de Immunohematología, Laboratorio de Química de Proteoglicanos y Matriz Extracelular; Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Shimamura M, Nagayama Y, Matsuse M, Yamashita S, Mitsutake N. Analysis of multiple markers for cancer stem-like cells in human thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Endocr J 2014; 61:481-90. [PMID: 24531915 DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.ej13-0526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) play important roles in cancer initiation and progression. CSCs have been isolated using several markers, but those for thyroid CSCs remain to be confirmed. We therefore conducted a comprehensive search for thyroid CSC markers. Expression of nine cell surface markers (CD13, CD15, CD24, CD44, CD90, CD117, CD133, CD166, and CD326) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, which are CSC markers in various solid cancers, and the ability to form spheres in vitro and tumors in vivo were investigated using eight thyroid cancer cell lines (FRO, KTC1/2/3, TPC1, WRO, ACT1, and 8505C). Among these, four cell lines (FRO, KTC3, ACT1, and 8505C) possessed the both abilities; however, common markers indicative of CSCs were not observed. The pattern of ability to form spheres was completely matched to that of tumor formation, suggesting that our sphere assay is valuable for assessment of tumor-forming ability. Next, the cells were sorted using these markers and subjected to the sphere assay. In three cell lines (FRO, KTC3, and ACT1), ALDH(pos) cells showed higher sphere forming ability than ALDH(neg) cells but not in other cells. CD326(hi) also appeared to be a candidate marker only in FRO cells. However, these subpopulations did not follow a classical hierarchical model because ALDH(neg) and CD326(low) fractions also generated ALDH(pos) and CD326(hi) cells, respectively. These data suggest that ALDH activity is probably a major candidate marker to enrich thyroid CSCs but not universal; other markers such as CD326 that regulate different CSC properties may exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika Shimamura
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
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Antoniou A, Hébrant A, Dom G, Dumont JE, Maenhaut C. Cancer stem cells, a fuzzy evolving concept: a cell population or a cell property? Cell Cycle 2013; 12:3743-8. [PMID: 24270846 PMCID: PMC3905066 DOI: 10.4161/cc.27305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The cancer stem cells (CSC) hypothesis represents a pathological extrapolation of the physiological concept of embryonic and somatic stem cells. In its initial definition, it encompassed the hypothesis of a qualitatively distinct population of immortal cancer cells originating from somatic stem cells, which generate in xenotransplants by a deterministic irreversible process, the hierarchy of more differentiated finite lifespan derived cells, which constitute, themselves, the bulk of the cancer. These CSC would express specific biomarkers and gene expressions related to chemo- and radioresistance, stemness, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, etc.
No convincing congruence of several of these properties in one cell population has been demonstrated. The concept has greatly evolved with time and with different authors (“the plasticity of cancer stem cells”), leading to a minimal definition of cells generating a hierarchy of derived cells. In this article these concepts are analyzed. It is proposed that stemness is a property, more or less reversible, a hallmark of some cells at some time in a cancer cell population, as immortality, dormancy, chemo- or radioresistance, epithelial–mesenchymal transition etc. These phenotypic properties represent the result of independent, linked, or more or less congruent, genetic, epigenetic, or signaling programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Antoniou
- Institute of Inrdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM); University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
| | - Aline Hébrant
- Institute of Inrdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM); University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
| | - Genevieve Dom
- Institute of Inrdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM); University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jacques E Dumont
- Institute of Inrdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM); University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
| | - Carine Maenhaut
- Institute of Inrdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM); University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium; Wellbio; School of Medicine; University of Brussels; Brussels, Belgium
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Blasimme A, Maugeri P, Germain PL. What mechanisms can't do: explanatory frameworks and the function of the p53 gene in molecular oncology. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2013; 44:374-84. [PMID: 23478029 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2013.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
What has been called the new mechanistic philosophy conceives of mechanisms as the main providers of biological explanation. We draw on the characterization of the p53 gene in molecular oncology, to show that explaining a biological phenomenon (cancer, in our case) implies instead a dynamic interaction between the mechanistic level-rendered at the appropriate degree of ontological resolution-and far more general explanatory tools that perform a fundamental epistemic role in the provision of biological explanations. We call such tools "explanatory frameworks". They are called frameworks to stress their higher level of generality with respect to bare mechanisms; on the other hand, they are called explanatory because, as we show in this paper, their importance in explaining biological phenomena is not secondary with respect to mechanisms. We illustrate how explanatory frameworks establish selective and local criteria of causal relevance that drive the search for, characterisation and usage of biological mechanisms. Furthermore, we show that explanatory frameworks allow for changes of scientific perspective on the causal relevance of mechanisms going beyond the account provided by the new mechanistic philosophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Blasimme
- INSERM UMR 1027, Université Paul Sabatier, Département d'épidémiologie et de santé publique, Faculté de Médecine, 37 allées Jules Guesde F-31000 Toulouse, France.
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Puglisi MA, Tesori V, Lattanzi W, Gasbarrini GB, Gasbarrini A. Colon cancer stem cells: Controversies and perspectives. World J Gastroenterol 2013; 19:2997-3006. [PMID: 23716979 PMCID: PMC3662939 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i20.2997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2013] [Revised: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumors have long been viewed as a population in which all cells have the equal propensity to form new tumors, the so called conventional stochastic model. The cutting-edge theory on tumor origin and progression, tends to consider cancer as a stem cell disease. Stem cells are actively involved in the onset and maintenance of colon cancer. This review is intended to examine the state of the art on colon cancer stem cells (CSCs), with regard to the recent achievements of basic research and to the corresponding translational consequences. Specific prominence is given to the hypothesized origin of CSCs and to the methods for their identification. The growing understanding of CSC biology is driving the optimization of novel anti-cancer targeted drugs.
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Schreiber C, Kuch V, Umansky V, Sleeman JP. Autochthonous mouse melanoma and mammary tumors do not express the pluripotency genes Oct4 and Nanog. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57465. [PMID: 23468991 PMCID: PMC3585372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The homeodomain transcription factors Oct4 and Nanog maintain pluripotency and self-renewal in embryonic stem cells. In somatic cells, inappropriate expression of these genes has been associated with loss of differentiation, malignant transformation, and the acquisition of cancer stem cell-like properties. As cancer stem cells have been suggested to underlie the growth and malignancy of tumors, Oct4 and Nanog may represent therapeutic targets. Their expression could also act as a marker of the cancer stem cell population, permitting its isolation and characterisation. Nevertheless, the existence of multiple pseudogenes and isoforms of these genes has complicated the interpretation of the data that supports a role for Oct4 and Nanog in the cancer context. Here we addressed this issue using knockin mice in which IRES elements are used to allow GFP expression under the control of the endogenous Oct4 or Nanog promoters, while maintaining correct expression of the Oct4 or Nanog gene. These mice were crossed with MT/ret mice that develop melanomas, and with MMTV-PyMT mice and MMTV-Neu mice that develop mammary adenocarcinomas. We analysed the tumors that developed in these compound mice for GFP expression. In this way we could assess transcription of Oct4 and Nanog in autochthonous cancers without the complication of factors such as pseudogene expression, alternative splicing and antibody specificity. Both the Oct4 and Nanog knockin tumor-bearing mice expressed GFP in blastocysts and testes as expected. However, we could find no evidence for expression of the GFP reporter above background levels in tumors using FACS, qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, cultivation of Oct4GFP and NanogGFP MMTV-PyMT tumor cells either adherently or as spheroids had no effect on the expression of the GFP reporter. Together these data suggest that Oct4 and Nanog are not expressed in tumor cells that arise in the autochthonous cancer models studied here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schreiber
- Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
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Witkiewicz H, Oh P, Schnitzer JE. II. Capsular vaso-mimicry formed by transgenic mammary tumor spheroids implanted ectopically into mouse dorsal skin fold: implications for cellular mechanisms of metastasis. F1000Res 2013; 2:9. [PMID: 24555024 PMCID: PMC3869488 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.2-9.v2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most cancer patients die of metastatic disease, not primary tumors, while biological mechanisms leading to metastases remain unclear and effective therapies are missing. Using a mouse dorsal skin chamber model we had observed that tumor growth and vasculature formation could be influenced by the way in vitro cultured (avascular) spheroids of N202 breast tumor cells were implanted; co-implantation of lactating breast tissue created stimulating microenvironment, whereas the absence of the graft resulted in temporary tumor dormancy. This report addressed the issue of cellular mechanisms of the vasculogenic switch that ended the dormancy. In situ ultrastructural analysis revealed that the tumors survived in ectopic microenvironment until some of host and tumor stem cells evolved independently into cells initiating the vasculogenic switch. The tumor cells that survived and proliferated under hypoxic conditions for three weeks were supported by erythrogenic autophagy of others. However, the host microenvironment first responded as it would to non-immunogenic foreign bodies, i.e., by encapsulating the tumor spheroids with collagen-producing fibroblasts. That led to a form of vaso-mimicry consisting of tumor cells amid tumor-derived erythrosomes (synonym of erythrocytes), megakaryocytes and platelets, and encapsulating them all, the host fibroblasts. Such capsular vaso-mimicry could potentially facilitate metastasis by fusing with morphologically similar lymphatic vessels or veins. Once incorporated into the host circulatory system, tumor cells could be carried away passively by blood flow, regardless of their genetic heterogeneity. The fake vascular segment would have permeability properties different from genuine vascular endothelium. The capsular vaso-mimicry was different from vasculogenic mimicry earlier observed in metastases-associated malignant tumors where channels formed by tumor cells were said to contain circulating blood. Structures similar to the vasculogenic mimicry were seen here as well but contained non-circulating erythrosomes formed between tumor nodules. The host's response to the implantation included coordinated formation of new vessels and peripheral nerves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halina Witkiewicz
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Phil Oh
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jan E Schnitzer
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
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Witkiewicz H, Oh P, Schnitzer JE. II. Capsular vaso-mimicry formed by transgenic mammary tumor spheroids implanted ectopically into mouse dorsal skin fold: cellular mechanisms of metastasis. F1000Res 2013; 2:9. [PMID: 24555024 PMCID: PMC3869488 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.2-9.v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2013] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Most cancer patients die of metastatic disease, not primary tumors, while biological mechanisms leading to metastases remain unclear and effective therapies are missing. Using a mouse dorsal skin chamber model we had observed that tumor growth and vasculature formation could be influenced by the way in vitro cultured (avascular) spheroids of N202 breast tumor cells were implanted; co-implantation of lactating breast tissue created stimulating microenvironment, whereas the absence of the graft resulted in temporary tumor dormancy. This report addressed the issue of cellular mechanisms of the vasculogenic switch that ended the dormancy. In situ ultrastructural analysis revealed that the tumors survived in ectopic microenvironment until some of host and tumor stem cells evolved independently into cells initiating the vasculogenic switch. The tumor cells that survived and proliferated under hypoxic conditions for three weeks were supported by erythrogenic autophagy of others. However, the host microenvironment first responded as it would to non-immunogenic foreign bodies, i.e., by encapsulating the tumor spheroids with collagen-producing fibroblasts. That led to a form of vaso-mimicry consisting of tumor cells amid tumor-derived erythrosomes (synonym of erythrocytes), megakaryocytes and platelets, and encapsulating them all, the host fibroblasts. Such capsular vaso-mimicry could potentially facilitate metastasis by fusing with morphologically similar lymphatic vessels or veins. Once incorporated into the host circulatory system, tumor cells could be carried away passively by blood flow, regardless of their genetic heterogeneity. The fake vascular segment would have permeability properties different from genuine vascular endothelium. The capsular vaso-mimicry was different from vasculogenic mimicry earlier observed in metastases-associated malignant tumors where channels formed by tumor cells were said to contain circulating blood. Structures similar to the vasculogenic mimicry were seen here as well but contained non-circulating erythrosomes formed between tumor nodules. The host's response to the implantation included coordinated formation of new vessels and peripheral nerves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halina Witkiewicz
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Phil Oh
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jan E Schnitzer
- Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
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Abstract
The investigation and development of the cancer stem cell (CSC) model has received much focus during these years. CSC is characterized as a small fraction of cancer cells that have an indefinite ability for self-renewal and pluripotency and are responsible for initiating and sustaining of the bulk of cancer. So, whether current treatment strategies, most of which target the rapid division of cancer cells, could interfere with the slow-cycling CSCs is broadly questioned. Meanwhile, however, the new understanding of tumorigenesis has led to the development of new drug screening strategies. Both stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells have been vigorously used in pre-clinical studies of their anti-tumor potential, mainly due to their inherent tumoritropic migratory properties and their ability to carry anti-tumor transgenes. Here, based on the tumorigenic and tumoritropic characteristics of CSCs, we proposed two hypotheses exploring possible usage of CSCs as novel anti-tumor agents and potential sources for tissue regeneration. Further experimental validation of these hypotheses may unravel some new research topics.
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41
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Cancer stem cell hypothesis: a brief summary and two proposals. Cytotechnology 2012; 65:505-12. [PMID: 23250634 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-012-9517-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 11/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation and development of the cancer stem cell (CSC) model has received much focus during these years. CSC is characterized as a small fraction of cancer cells that have an indefinite ability for self-renewal and pluripotency and are responsible for initiating and sustaining of the bulk of cancer. So, whether current treatment strategies, most of which target the rapid division of cancer cells, could interfere with the slow-cycling CSCs is broadly questioned. Meanwhile, however, the new understanding of tumorigenesis has led to the development of new drug screening strategies. Both stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells have been vigorously used in pre-clinical studies of their anti-tumor potential, mainly due to their inherent tumoritropic migratory properties and their ability to carry anti-tumor transgenes. Here, based on the tumorigenic and tumoritropic characteristics of CSCs, we proposed two hypotheses exploring possible usage of CSCs as novel anti-tumor agents and potential sources for tissue regeneration. Further experimental validation of these hypotheses may unravel some new research topics.
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42
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Sprouffske K, Athena Aktipis C, Radich JP, Carroll M, Nedelcu AM, Maley CC. An evolutionary explanation for the presence of cancer nonstem cells in neoplasms. Evol Appl 2012; 6:92-101. [PMID: 23397439 PMCID: PMC3567474 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 09/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Contrary to conventional views that assume all cells in a neoplasm can propagate the tumor, the cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that only a fraction of the cells (the cancer stem cells) can act as tumor-propagating cells, while most of the tumor is composed of cells with limited replication potential. Here, we offer an evolutionary approach to this controversy. We used several evolutionary, computational models to investigate cancer cell dynamics and conditions consistent with the stem cell hypothesis. Our models predict that if selection acts at the cell level, neoplasms should be primarily comprised of cancer stem cells, in contrast to experimental data indicating that neoplasms contain large fractions of cancer nonstem cells. We explore several solutions explaining the paradoxical existence of cancer nonstem cells in neoplasms, including the possibility that selection acts at the level of multicellular proliferative units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Sprouffske
- Genomics and Computational Biology Program, Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
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mRNA expression in papillary and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: molecular anatomy of a killing switch. PLoS One 2012; 7:e37807. [PMID: 23115614 PMCID: PMC3480355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2011] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most lethal form of thyroid neoplasia and represents the end stage of thyroid tumor progression. No effective treatment exists so far. ATC frequently derive from papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), which have a good prognosis. In this study, we analyzed the mRNA expression profiles of 59 thyroid tumors (11 ATC and 48 PTC) by microarrays. ATC and PTC showed largely overlapping mRNA expression profiles with most genes regulated in all ATC being also regulated in several PTC. 43% of the probes regulated in all the PTC are similarly regulated in all ATC. Many genes modulations observed in PTC are amplified in ATC. This illustrates the fact that ATC mostly derived from PTC. A molecular signature of aggressiveness composed of 9 genes clearly separates the two tumors. Moreover, this study demonstrates gene regulations corresponding to the ATC or PTC phenotypes like inflammatory reaction, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion, high proliferation rate, dedifferentiation, calcification and fibrosis processes, high glucose metabolism and glycolysis, lactate generation and chemoresistance. The main qualitative differences between the two tumor types bear on the much stronger EMT, dedifferentiation and glycolytic phenotypes showed by the ATC.
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Kuch V, Schreiber C, Thiele W, Umansky V, Sleeman JP. Tumor-initiating properties of breast cancer and melanoma cells in vivo are not invariably reflected by spheroid formation in vitro, but can be increased by long-term culturing as adherent monolayers. Int J Cancer 2012; 132:E94-105. [PMID: 22907275 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.27785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 08/02/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been studied intensively in recent years due to their potential importance for understanding neoplastic disease and the design of antitumor therapies. A number of properties attributed to CSCs have been used to define the CSC population, the most important of which is the ability to initiate reproducibly the growth of tumors in vivo. Other assays such as spheroid formation, expression of particular markers and label retention are also used for defining CSCs, although the degree to which these assays invariably reflect the ability to form tumors in vivo remains to be carefully evaluated. Given the importance of correctly defining and isolating CSCs if valid conclusions about their characteristics are to be made, we used syngeneic animal models to compare these different assays. In standard spheroid assays, cell aggregation rather than spheroid growth from single cell suspensions ensued, but aggregation was circumvented by the inclusion of methylcellulose in the medium. Label-retaining subpopulations did not reliably exhibit an enhanced ability to form spheroids and were enriched for senescent cells. Spheroid-forming ability was found to correspond to expression of established CSC markers, although not invariably. Furthermore, spheroid-forming ability was not always reflected in tumor-initiating properties in vivo. Long-term culture of primary mammary tumor cells as adherent monolayers increased their tumor-initiating ability in vivo. This increase was attenuated when the cells were subsequently cultivated as spheroids. Together these data indicate that assays that are widely used to define CSC subpopulations do not invariably reflect tumor-initiating properties in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Kuch
- Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
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45
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Bell RE, Levy C. The three M's: melanoma, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor and microRNA. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2012; 24:1088-106. [PMID: 22004179 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-148x.2011.00931.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Studies examining intratumor heterogeneity have indicated that several cancer types, including melanoma, can display phenotypic plasticity, corresponding to their capacity to undergo transient reversible cellular changes. Conceptual models constructed to explain the process of cancer propagation differ in their treatment of intratumor heterogeneity. Recent observations of reversible phenotypic heterogeneity in melanoma have led to the proposal of a novel 'phenotypic plasticity' model of cancer propagation. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), the melanocyte 'lineage-specific' transcription factor, has emerged as one of the central players in melanoma phenotypic plasticity. Here we discuss the conceptual models suggested to explain the relations between MITF and melanoma plasticity, in addition to the complex regulatory roles that MITF plays in melanocytes and melanoma development. Finally, we provide an in-depth literature survey of microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in MITF activity, melanoma propagation and metastasis, in addition to their potential use as agents of personalized therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Bell
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Floor SL, Dumont JE, Maenhaut C, Raspe E. Hallmarks of cancer: of all cancer cells, all the time? Trends Mol Med 2012; 18:509-15. [PMID: 22795735 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2012.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2012] [Revised: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
In two landmark articles, Hanahan and Weinberg synthesized into one conceptual framework 'the hallmarks of cancer', a massive amount of information describing the characteristics of a cancer cell. Although this is neither the intention nor the belief of the authors, hallmarks are often interpreted as applying to a canonic cancer cell, or equally to all cells within a cancer. In this article, we clarify the separate concepts of causes, oncogenic events, signal transduction programs, and hallmarks to show that there is no unimodal relation between these concepts but a complex network of interrelations that vary in different cells, between cells, and at different times in any given cell. We consider cancer as an evolving, dynamic, and heterogeneous system, explaining, at least in part, the difficulty of treating cancer and supporting the use of simultaneous, multitarget therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien L Floor
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Human Molecular Biology (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
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47
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Gene expression profiling to dissect the complexity of cancer biology: Pitfalls and promise. Semin Cancer Biol 2012; 22:250-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2012.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Wollenberg B. Implication of stem cells in the biology and therapy of head and neck cancer. GMS CURRENT TOPICS IN OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY, HEAD AND NECK SURGERY 2012; 10:Doc01. [PMID: 22558051 PMCID: PMC3341578 DOI: 10.3205/cto000074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The progress which has been made in the therapy of patients with head and neck cancer in recent years mainly concern the HPV associated HNSCC and the quality of life. The overall survival of patients carrying non HPV associated HNSCC during the last thirty years has not experienced any significant improvement and must be referred to as static [1], [2]. The problem of the illness remains unchanged in the frequent and poorly controllable relapse situation. The locoregionally originating tumours or lymph node metastases show a considerably poorer response towards current therapies. Likewise for a number of patients a formation of distant metastases seems to develop during the course of the illness. Those distant metastases are also therapeutically rather difficult to control. Therefore the mortality of the non HPV induced head and neck cancer remains unchanged. The term “stem cell” describes the entity cell, which acts as a reservoir for new cells in order to replace defective or necrotic cells. A fundamental characteristic of stem cells is the constant ability to multiply into different type of cells, which subsequently do not proliferate. With the insight of new knowledge within the regenerative medicine and the ability of stem cells of self regenerating proliferation and their multipotency in the differentiation, the origin of cancer attains a new distinction. If you look on the tumour as a malignant wound it becomes obvious, that the regeneration or the composition of additional tissue depends on the presence and differentiation of stem cells. The wound healing, which is a regeneration of tissue depends not only on stationary stem cells. In fact stem cells are attracted for “homing” in the defective areas by despatch of various messengers, which then form and replace the vascular tree or other tissue [3], [4]. Next to those stem cells, which functionally help to form tumour tissue, a small entity of “real cancer stem cells” in solid tumours is expected. Those occur in tumours and they have typical stem cell characteristics like self-regeneration and the potential of differentiation and are potentially responsible for tumour growth. With their ability of self-regeneration they would have the ability to form a complete tumour out of every single cell. That tumour would histologically look like the tumour those cells initially originated from. Of particular interest regarding those currently still elusive cancer stem cells is their resistance towards current therapies like radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Those insights now get a completely new meaning in tumour biology: Does a cancer stem cell exist, which is able to initiate and keep up tumour growth despite all possible therapeutic interventions? This presentation will outline the current views regarding cancer stem cells in non HPV associated HNSCC and it will highlight problems, which are currently researched on. The objective must be to understand the biology of those cells in a way that make an extended range of therapeutics possible. A therapy, which specifically targets cancer stem cells, could improve the chances of recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Wollenberg
- Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Medizinische Fakultät Lübeck, Germany
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49
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Abstract
Continuing advances in stem cell science have prompted researchers to envisage the potential application of stem cells for the management of several debilitating disorders, thus raising the expectations of transplant clinicians. In particular, in order to find a source of adult stem cells alternative to embryonic stem cells (ESCs) for the exploration of novel strategies in regenerative medicine, researchers have attempted to identify and characterise adult stem/progenitor cells resident in compact organs, since these populations appear to be responsible for physiological tissue renewal and regeneration after injury. In particular, recent studies have also reported evidence for the existence of adult stem/progenitor cell populations in both mouse and human thyroids. Here, I provide a review of published findings about ESC lines capable of generating thyroid follicular cells, thyroid somatic stem cells and cancer stem cells within the thyroid. The three subjects are analysed by also considering the criticism recently raised against their existence and potential utility. I comment specifically on the significance of resident thyroid stem cells in the developmental biology of the gland and their putative role in the pathogenesis of thyroid disorders and on the protocols employed for their identification. I finally provide my opinion on whether from basic science results obtained to date it is possible to extrapolate any convincing basic for future treatment of thyroid disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Fierabracci
- Research Laboratories, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù Research Institute, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Piazza S. Onofrio 4, Rome, Italy.
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50
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Brunner TB, Kunz-Schughart LA, Grosse-Gehling P, Baumann M. Cancer Stem Cells as a Predictive Factor in Radiotherapy. Semin Radiat Oncol 2012; 22:151-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semradonc.2011.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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