Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 2.20 | May 22 2013

PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Acylglycerol Kinase Augments JAK2/STAT3 Signaling in Esophageal Squamous Cells
Investigators demonstrated that AGK directly interacted with the JAK homology domain 2 to relieve inhibition of JAK2 and activate JAK2/STAT3 signaling. Overexpression of AGK sustained constitutive JAK2/STAT3 activation, consequently promoting the cancer stem cell population and augmenting the tumorigenicity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells both in vivo and in vitro. [J Clin Invest] Full Article

Leukemia-Initiating Cell Activity Requires Calcineurin in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Ex vivo, calcineurin (Cn) deletion altered the adhesive interactions between leukemic cells and their supportive stroma, leukemic cell survival, proliferation, migration and clonogenic potential. In vivo, Cn activation was found to be critical for leukemia initiating/propagating cell activity as demonstrated by the failure of Cn-deficient leukemic cells to transplant the disease to syngeneic recipient mice. [Leukemia] Abstract

Downregulation of miR-452 Promotes Stem-Like Traits and Tumorigenicity of Gliomas
Investigators evaluated the effect of miR-452 on the stem-like properties and tumorigenesis of glioma cells. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract

The Pleiotrophin-ALK Axis Is Required for Tumorigenicity of Glioblastoma Stem Cells
Researchers showed that anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and its ligand pleiotrophin are required for the self-renewal and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma stem cells. [Oncogene] Abstract

Dysregulation of BMI1 and MicroRNA-16 Collaborate to Enhance an Anti-Apoptotic Potential in the Side Population of Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Scientists showed that recurrent mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cases significantly exhibit upregulation of BMI1/Bmi1. They further demonstrated that clonogenic MCL side population (SP) shows such tumor-initiating characteristics as high tumorigenicity and self-renewal capability, and that BMI1 was upregulated in the SP from recurrent MCL cases and MCL cell lines. [Oncogene] Abstract

Prediction of Response to Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Esophageal Cancer Using Stem Cell Markers
Researchers investigated whether cancer stem cell marker expressing cells can be identified that predict for the response of esophageal cancer to chemoradiotherapy. [Radiother Oncol] Abstract

Stemness and Inducing Differentiation of Small Cell Lung Cancer NCI-H446 Cells
The authors investigated the expressions of multilineage stem cell markers in the cancer cells of small cell lung cancer cell line, NCI-H446, and analyzed their clonogenicity, tumorigenicity, and plasticity for inducing differentiation. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

The Expression and Significance of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor and Its Pathway on Breast Cancer Stem/Progenitors
Data support the notion that insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-R1) is a marker of stemness, and IGF-1R and its downstream PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway are attractive targets for therapy directed against breast cancer stem/progenitors. [Breast Cancer Res] Abstract | Full Article

The MET Oncogene in Glioblastoma Stem Cells: Implications as a Diagnostic Marker and a Therapeutic Target
The authors review findings that associate MET expression and activity with a specific, genetically defined glioblastoma stem cell subtype, and data showing how MET sustains the stem cell phenotype in glioblastoma and other tumors. [Cancer Res] Abstract

Understanding and Targeting Cancer Stem Cells: Therapeutic Implications and Challenges
The authors review new findings related to the investigation of the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis, and discuss the crucial pathways involved in regulating the development of CSC populations and the advances in studies of drug resistance. [Acta Pharmacol Sin] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the cancer stem cell research field.

Cellular Biomedicine Group Announces Enrollment Milestone for Phase I Clinical Trial for Liver Cancer
Cellular Biomedicine Group announced that it has achieved half of the enrollment of the total projected enrollment required for its Phase I trial to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of tumor stem cell specific dendritic cell therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. [Thomson Reuters] Press Release

Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission Funds 31 New Research Proposals in FY 2013
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission has completed its review of the 171 applications received in response to its FY 2013 Requests for Applications. The board of directors of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation approved the Commission’s recommendation to fund 31 new proposals with the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund’s $10.4 million FY2013 budget. [Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund] Press Release

NIH Saves Lives: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Calls on Congress to Restore Full NIH Funding
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center called on Congress to support restoring full funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which supports pioneering research that saves lives. Funding was recently cut due to sequestration. [Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center] Press Release

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