Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 2.17 | May 1 2013

PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

CXC Chemokine Receptor 4 Is Essential for Maintenance of Renal Cell Carcinoma-Initiating Cells and Predicts Metastasis
Researchers found that CXC chemokine receptor 4 identifies a subpopulation of tumor-initiating cells in renal cell carcinoma cell lines and plays a role in their maintenance. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway Represses let-7 MicroRNAs Expression via Transactivation of Lin28 to Augment Breast Cancer Stem Cell Expansion
Researchers identified Lin28, a negative let-7 biogenesis regulator, as a novel direct downstream target of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Loss of function of Lin28 impairs the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-mediated let-7 inhibition and breast cancer stem cell expansion; enforced expression of let-7 blocks the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-stimulated breast cancer stem cell phenotype. [J Cell Sci] Abstract | Full Article

Parity Induces Differentiation and Reduces Wnt/Notch Signaling Ratio and Proliferation Potential of Basal Stem/Progenitor Cells Isolated from Mouse Mammary Epithelium
Early pregnancy has a strong protective effect against breast cancer in humans and rodents, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Because breast cancers are thought to arise from specific cell subpopulations of mammary epithelia, researchers studied the effect of parity on the transcriptome and the differentiation/proliferation potential of specific luminal and basal mammary cells in mice. [Breast Cancer Res] Abstract | Full Article | Press Release

Melatonin-Induced Methylation of the ABCG2/BCRP Promoter as a Novel Mechanism to Overcome Multidrug Resistance in Brain Tumor Stem Cells
Eradication of the brain tumor stem cell compartment is essential to achieve a stable and long-lasting remission. Results point out a possible relationship between the downregulation of ABCG2/BCRP function and the synergistic toxic effect of melatonin and chemotherapeutic drugs. [Br J Cancer] Abstract

De-Regulated MicroRNAs in Pediatric Cancer Stem Cells Target Pathways Involved in Cell Proliferation, Cell Cycle and Development
Investigators hypothesized that a common signature of deregulated microRNAs in the cancer stem cells (CSCs) fraction may explain the disrupted signaling pathways in CSCs. [PLoS One] Full Article

Oncolytic Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1 Infects and Kills Breast Tumor Cells and Breast Cancer-Initiating Cells Irrespective of Tumor Subtype
Results suggest that oncolytic bovine herpesvirus type 1 targets bulk breast cancer cells and cancer-initiating cells from luminal and basal subtypes by a novel mechanism that is not contingent upon cellular receptor expression status. [Cancer Gene Ther] Abstract

Identification of a Subpopulation of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells with Cancer Stem-Like Cell Properties by High Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity
Cancer stem cells have been reported as a new therapeutic target in many cancers, but their existence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is largely unknown. This study was conducted to determine cancer stem-like cells in a NPC cell line. [Laryngoscope] Abstract

A Physical Sciences Network Characterization of Non-Tumorigenic and Metastatic Cells
To investigate the transition from non-cancerous to metastatic from a physical sciences perspective, the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers Network performed molecular and biophysical comparative studies of the non-tumorigenic MCF-10A and metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast epithelial cell lines, commonly used as models of cancer metastasis. [Sci Rep] Full Article | Press Release

Team PhRMA Raises $100,000 for Leukemia/Lymphoma Research
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has raised more than $100,000 to establish a new grant for blood cancer research. [Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America] Press Release

STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Obtains License from iPS Academia Japan for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technologies
STEMCELL Technologies Inc. has signed an agreement to license iPS Academia Japan’s induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell) technologies. This agreement will enable STEMCELL Technologies to develop media that are optimized for cellular reprogramming, further expanding its extensive portfolio of products designed to facilitate cutting-edge pluripotent stem cell research. [STEMCELL Technologies Inc.] Press Release

From our sponsor:
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Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cells and Cancer (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

PhD Studentship Opportunity (University of East Anglia)

Faculties in Cancer Biology & Immunotherapy (Huzhou University School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Pancreatic Cancer (University of Notre Dame, Department of Biological Sciences)

Postdoctoral Associate (University of California, Berkeley)

Postdoctoral Scholarship – Leukemia Stem Cell Biology (Lund University – Faculty of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Defining and Targeting Leukemic Stem Cells in Acute Leukemia (University of Oxford)

PhD Position – Cancer Biology (Cardiff School of Biosciences)


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