Cancer Stem Cells

Min-Hee Hur; Gabriela Dontu; Max S. Wicha

doi:10.4048/jbc.2007.10.3.173

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Hur, Dontu, and Wicha: Cancer Stem Cells

Review Article

J Breast Cancer 2007;10(3):173-179.

Published online: 30 September 2007

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4048/jbc.2007.10.3.173

Cancer Stem Cells

Min-Hee Hur, Gabriela Dontu¹, Max S. Wicha¹

Department of Surgery, Cheil General Hospital and Women’s Healthcare Center, College of Medicine, Kwandong University, Seoul, Korea

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

E-mail : hmh1916@gmail.com

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Recent results have supported the cancer stem cells hypothesis in which tumors originate from tissue stem cells or their early progenitors and, as a result, produce tumors that retain stem cell properties. These properties include selfrenewal that drives tumorigenesis and differentiation that contributes to cellular heterogeneity. The number of these cells is very small, and is tightly controlled by the self-renewal pathway and the signals of their environment (niche). Evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells has been reported for a number of human cancers including leukemia, cancers of the breast, brain, and colon. Although our understanding of the biology of these cancer stem cells remains rudimentary, the existence of these cells has implications for current conceptualization of malignant transformation and targeted therapy for the treatment of cancer.

Keywords: Cancer stem cells, Self renewal, Targeted therapy

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Fig 1.

Detection of PERV RNA in plasma (A) and culture supernatant of PBMC (B) from SNU miniature pig by RT-PCR. (A) M, molecular marker; 1, PK-15; 2, plasma; 3, distilled water control (B) M, molecular marker; 1, PK-15; 2, culture supernatant of PK-15; 3-8, culture supernatant of PBMC treated with PMA, PHA, PMA plus PHA, LPS, PGE2, and media; 9, distilled water control.

Fig 2.

Signaling pathways that regulate self-renewal mechanisms during normal stem cell development and during transformation. Wnt, Shh and Notch pathways have been shown to contribute to the self-renewal of stem cells and/or progenitors in a variety of organs, including the hematopoietic and nervous systems. When dysregulated, these pathways can contribute to oncogenesis. Mutations of these pathways have been associated with a number of human tumors, including colon carcinoma and epidermal tumors (Wnt), medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma (Shh), and T-cell leukemias (Notch). (Images courtesy of Eye of Science/SPL and R. Wechsler- Reya/M. Scott/Annual reviews.)

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