Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 4.03 | Jan 28 2015

CD95 Promotes Metastatic Spread via Sck in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Pharmacological inhibition of CD95 activity reduced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas growth and metastasis in cancer stem cell-derived xenografts and in a murine syngeneic model. On the mechanistic level, Sck was identified as a novel molecule indispensable for CD95’s induction of cell cycle progression. [Cell Death Differ]
Full Article

The Evidence of Glioblastoma Heterogeneity
To investigate the cancer stem cells’ diversity, researchers established four subclones from a glioblastoma patient. The morphology, the self-renewal and proliferative capacities of the subclones differed. [Sci Rep]
Full Article

Targeting Osteopontin Suppresses Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cell Character and Tumorigenicity In Vivo
Investigators explored osteopontin (OPN) autocrine function using shRNA silencing strategy in glioma-initiating cells (GICs) enriched from glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines and a human primary GBM grown in EGF and bFGF defined medium. They showed that OPN-silenced GICs were unable to grow as spheres and this capacity was restored by exogenous OPN. [Int J Cancer] Abstract

Nutrient Stress Alters the Glycosylation Status of LGR5 Resulting in Reduced Protein Stability and Membrane Localization in Colorectal Tumor Cells: Implications for Targeting Cancer Stem Cells
LGR5 is an important marker of intestinal stem cells and performs its vital functions at the cell membrane. Glucose deprivation altered the glycosylation status of LGR5 resulting in reduced protein stability and cell surface expression. [Br J Cancer] Abstract

Risperidone Promotes Differentiation of Glioma Stem-Like Cells through the Wnt Signaling Pathway
Scientists investigated the effects of risperidone on the self-renewal and differentiation of glioma stem-like cells (GSLCs) and the underlying mechanisms. Their data showed that risperidone inhibited self-renewal and induced differentiation of GSLCs into oligodendrocyte-like cells, which expressed typical markers for oligodendrocytes in vitro. [Tumor Biol] Abstract

The Effectiveness of an Anti-Human IL-6 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody Combined with Chemotherapy to Target Colon Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Researchers investigated the effects of IL-6 and its downstream signaling components on stem cell biology, particularly the chemoresistance of cancer stem cells, to explore potential molecular targets for cancer therapy. [Int J Oncol] Abstract

The Inhibitory Effect of Hypoxic Cytotoxin on the Expansion of Cancer Stem Cells in Ovarian Cancer
Researchers examined the possible suppression of stem cell and cancer stem cell expansion by hypoxic cytotoxin, TX-402. They found that the expressions of HIF-1α and HIF-2α were increased under hypoxia in serous ovarian cancer cell lines. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Abstract

Akt-Mediated Phosphorylation of Oct4 Is Associated with the Proliferation of Stem-Like Cancer Cells
Oct4 protein encoded by POU5F1 plays a pivotal role in maintaining the self-renewal of pluripotent stem cells. Scientists provide evidence that the transcripts of authentic OCT4 gene and its multiple pseudogenes were detected in a variety of cancer cell lines. [Oncol Rep] Full Article

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

New Animal Models Faithfully Reproduce the Tumor of Each Patient
A team from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute has developed new animal models that reproduce faithfully the evolution and malignancy of different human tumors. [Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute] Press Release

New wallchart from our sponsor:
Mesenchymal Stem Cells (a Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology collaboration). Request your free copy.

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)

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the cancer stem cell community.

Director (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine)

Junior Group Leaders – Cell Biology of Cancer and Genomic Instability (Foundation FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Biology/Cancer Biology (Oregon Health & Science University)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Bioengineering and Cancer Biology (University of Minnesota)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Wnt Signaling in Development and Disease (Van Andel Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulation Governing Cancer Cell Behavior (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Positions – Functional Genomics of Stem Cells and Cancer (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (University of Edinburgh)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (Genome Institute of Singapore)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer and Developmental Biology (University of California, Irvine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cells and Cancer (Tsinghua University)

Postdoctoral Position – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology and Cancer Research (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach more than 50,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.