Browsing by Subject "Cancer stem cell"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    A twist tale of cancer metastasis and tumor angiogenesis
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2015) Tseng, Jen-Chieh; Chen, Hsiao-Fan; Wu, Kou-Juey
    Twist1 is an evolutionally conserved transcription factor. Originally identified in Drosophila as a key regulator for mesoderm development, it was later implicated in many human diseases, including Saethre-Chotzen syndrome and cancer. Twist1’s involvement in cancer has been well recognized. Driven by hypoxia-induced factor-1 (HIF-1), Twist1 has been considered as a proto-oncogene and its overexpression has been observed in a wide variety of human cancers. High expression level of Twist1 is closely related to tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. In cancer cells, Twist1 has been shown to function as a key regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical process for metastasis initiation. Twist1 has also been implicated in maintaining cancer stemness for selfrenewal and chemoresistance. This review first summarizes the roles of Twist1 in embryo development and Saethre-Chotzen syndrome followed by a discussion of Twist1’s critical functions in cancer. In particular, the review focuses on the recent discovery of Twist1’s capability to promote endothelial transdifferentiation of cancer cells beyond EMT.
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    Clinical significance of ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression in women with breast carcinoma
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Histología e Histopatología, 2025) Zong Yuxuan; Ma Shuang; Yin Jiaxin; Qiao Na; Zhang Dongmei; Niu Zhaoyang; Zhao Ye; Zhou Fei; Biología Celular e Histología
    Background. Breast cancer is the most prominent cancer among women worldwide, with a two-fold incidence in China compared to the worldwide incidence. ALDH1A1, catalyzing the oxidation of intracellular aldehydes and converting retinol into retinoic acid, serves as a biomarker of early stem cell differentiation. Ki67 levels are prognostic or residual risk biomarkers after primary therapy and can predict the effects of systemic therapies or monitor patients for sustained response or resistance to the administered therapies. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters among women with breast cancer. Methods. Breast cancer tissue specimens were obtained from the Department of Pathology at the First Hospital of Qiqihar. Indirect fluorescent immunostaining was used to assess the expression of ALDH1A1 and Ki67 in breast cancer and healthy tissues. Associations between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression and clinicopathological parameters of breast cancer were evaluated using the chi-square test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The correlation between ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation analysis. Results. ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in breast cancer tissue compared with normal breast tissue (p<0.05). Furthermore, ALDH1A1 expression was further upregulated with an advancement in breast cancer grade, i.e., ALDH1A1 expression levels were higher in patients with stage III/IV breast cancer than in those with stage I/II breast cancer. Furthermore, ALDH1A1 and Ki67 were upregulated in the presence of lymphatic metastasis. Conclusion. ALDH1A1 may be considered a pathognomonic marker for breast cancer. ALDH1A1 and Ki67 expression are significantly positively correlated in women with breast cancer.
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    Comparable expression of stem markers and damage-responsive proteins in untreated and chemoradiation-treated rectal cancer
    (2026) Sachi Sekine; Hirotoshi Kawata; Tomoko Kamiakito; Takeo Nakaya; Yasuyuki Miyakura; Koichi Suzuki; Toshiki Rikiyama; Akira Tanaka1; Kentaro Tsuji; Biología Celular e Histología; Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología
    Purpose. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are suggested to contribute to therapy resistance in rectal cancer. However, histopathological analysis of CSCs is still lacking in rectal cancer. Methods. The expression of leucine-rich, repeat containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), proto oncogene, polycomb ring finger 1 (BMI1), yes associated transcriptional regulator (YAP) and its paralog TAZ (hereafter, YAP/TAZ), and nuclear β catenin was compared in untreated and chemoradiation treated (CRT) rectal cancer by in situ hybridization and immunostaining. Niche factors were also compared in human rectal cancer specimens and the embryonic intestine. Results. The mean ratios were 15% and 14% for LGR5, 30% and 33% for BMI1, 2.7% and 7.6% for YAP/TAZ, and 38% and 32% for nuclear β-catenin in untreated and CRT rectal cancer, respectively, showing no significant differences for these stem markers following CRT. The stromal expression ratios of YAP/TAZ were 9.7% and 23% in untreated and CRT rectal cancer, which indicated significant upregulation and confirmation of the damage response in the stroma of CRT tumors. In addition, cancer cells co-expressing LGR5 and CDKN1B are also comparable in untreated and CRT rectal cancer. For niche factors, we found that WNT2B and GREM1 were uniformly expressed in rectal cancer with a pattern similar to that of the early embryonic intestine. Conclusion. The expression of LGR5, BMI1, CDKN1B, and YAP/TAZ was comparable in untreated and CRT rectal cancer. The uniform expression of mesenchymal niche factors might prevent the zonation of the stem cell niche in rectal cancer
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    Comparison of functional glycans between cancer stem cells and normal stem cells
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2019) Sasaki, Norihiko; Itakura, Yoko; Gomi, Fujiya; Hirano, Kazumi; Toyoda, Masashi; Ishiwata, Toshiyuki
    Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small group of cells within a tumor that preserve stemness and enhance regrowth of cancer cells. CSCs have important implications in resistance to conventional therapies and tumor relapse, although their detailed properties remain unknown. Thus, CSCs represent promising targets to improve cancer treatment. So far, a number of cell surface markers containing glycans have been exploited to identify and isolate CSCs. Cell surface glycans are well-known markers for specific cell types and also play important cellular roles, such as regulation of cell signaling. In normal stem cells, including embryonic and tissue stem cells, glycan markers in an undifferentiated state have been identified. These markers are mostly known to regulate signaling pathways required for maintenance of stemness. In contrast, CSC-specific glycans have not been well characterized yet. In this review, we summarize functional commonalities between CSCs and normal stem cells in glycan-mediated signaling pathways. Identification of CSC-specific glycans may lead to early diagnosis and radical treatment of cancer.
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    Targeting cyclic hypoxia to prevent malignant progression and therapeutic resistance of cancers
    (F. Hernández y Juan F. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia: Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2015) Sun, Qingjia; Li, Xiaoming
    Emerging evidence shows that cyclic hypoxia exists in most solid cancers. It is believed that under cyclic hypoxic conditions cancer cells exhibit more malignant biological behaviors than under chronic hypoxic conditions. In this review, we provide a collection of evidence showing the molecular mechanisms by which cyclic hypoxia induces aggressiveness, malignant progression, and therapeutic resistance in cancers. Moreover, we propose that cyclic hypoxia is responsible for the regulation of cancer stem cells, which possess typical biological characteristics of therapeutic resistance. Based on the present findings, some key factors regulated by cyclic hypoxia may serve as potential targets for the prevention of malignant progression and the treatment of solid cancers. Much research is necessary to gain further insights into the biological aspects of cyclic hypoxia in the development and progression of cancers.