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2007 Cancer Stem Cells-Biol 610 No Anim
2007 Cancer Stem Cells-Biol 610 No Anim
CD34- CD20+
CD38+
CD8+
CD8+
CD34+
CD38-
CD34- CD4+
CD38-
CD4+
CD36+
CD35+
CD34 Expression
FACS Cell
Sorter
Bone Marrow Cells
CD38 Expression
CD34- CD20+
CD38+
CD8+
CD8+
CD34+
CD38- CD34- CD4+
CD38-
CD4+
CD36+
CD35+
Differentiation
Self Renewal
The epithelium is shaped into crypts and villi (left). The lineage scheme (right) depicts the stem
cell, the transit-amplifying cells, and the two differentiated branches. The right branch
constitutes the enterocyte lineage; the left is the secretory lineage. Relative positions along the
crypt-villus axis correspond to the schematic graph of the crypt in the center.
F. Radtke et al., Science 307, 1904 -1909 (2005)
Adult intestinal homeostasis
Schematic representation and section of the crypt-villus unit in the mature small intestine. Proliferative cells reside in the
crypts, while differentiated cells occupy the villus. Crypt progenitors migrate up (red arrow) the crypt-villus axis before
shedding into the lumen. The process of epithelial renewal takes 3-6 d and is ensured by a small number of asymmetrically
dividing stem cells at the bottom of the crypts. Wnt signaling in the adult intestine promotes proliferation of progenitor or
transit-amplifying (TA) cells, as well as commitment toward secretory lineages. Wnt signaling may also drive terminal
differentiation of certain secretory lineages. Although it is commonly believed that Wnt signaling may promote
proliferation and/or differentiation of intestinal stem cells, there is no evidence that formally proves this (see arrows
with question marks). In panel A, black arrowheads indicate Ki67 positive transit-amplifying cells, while white arrowheads
indicate the Paneth cell compartment.
Alex Gregorieff et al. Genes Dev. 2005; 19: 877-890
Pathways involved in self-renewal that are deregulated in cancer cells
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 haematopoietic and nervous systems. When dysregulated, these pathways can
contribute to oncogenesis. Mutations of these pathways have been associated with a number of human tumours,
including colon carcinoma and epidermal tumours (Wnt), medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma (Shh), and T-cell
leukaemias (Notch).
Origin of the Theory of Cancer Stem Cells
Only a small subset of cancer cells is capable of
extensive proliferation
Liquid Tumors
In vitro colony forming assays:
- 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100 mouse myeloma cells obtained from
ascites away from normal hematopoietic cells were able to form
colonies
In vivo transplantation assays:
- Only 1-4% of transplanted leukaemic cells could form spleen
colonies
Solid Tumors
- A large number of cells are required to grow tumors in
xenograft models
- 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 5,000 lung cancer, neuroblastoma cells,
ovarian cancer cells, or breast cancer cells can form colonies in
soft agar or in vivo
Two General Models for Cancer Heterogeneity
• Most therapies fail to consider the difference in drug sensitivities of cancer stem cells
compared to their non-tumorigenic progeny.
• Most therapies target rapidly proliferating non-tumorigenic cells and spare the
relatively quiescent cancer stem cells.
Thymidylate synthase
Raltitrexed 5-FU
CD34 Expression
FACS Cell
Sorter
Cancer Cells
ex: Leukaemia cells CD38 Expression
Self-renewal is a key property of both normal and leukemic stem cells. Fewer mutagenic changes are required to transform stem
cells in which the self-renewal machinery is already active (a), as compared with committed progenitors in which self-renewal must
be activated ectopically (b). In addition, self-renewing stem cells are long-lived; thus, there is an increased chance for genetic
changes to accumulate in individual stem cells in comparison with more mature, short-lived progenitors. If a committed progenitor
with limited life span acquires a genetic mutation that does not confer increased self-renewal (c), that cell will likely die or undergo
terminal differentiation before enough mutations occur to propagate a full leukemogenic program.
Hematopoietic Cancer
Stem Cells
CD44 Expression
FACS Cell
Sorter
Single Cell
Solid Tumor
Suspension CD24 Expression
Mince Surgical
(small
Implantation
pieces)
Stem Cells in the Nervous System
Brain Tumor Stem Cells: CD133+
CD133 – neuronal stem cell marker
Brain tumor stem cells were identified from human brain tumor samples
by in vitro neurosphere assays normally used to isolate normal neural stem
cells
GFAP = glial fibrillary acidic protein Singh et. al 2003 Cancer Research 63: 5821-5828.
Brain tumor stem cells were identified by intracranial transplantation of
CD133+ cells into adult NOD/SCID mouse forebrain.
CD133+
CD133+ CD133-
Al-Hajj, Muhammad et al. (2003) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 3983-3988
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