Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 4.40 | Oct 21 2015

Chemotherapy Resistance in Diffuse Type Gastric Adenocarcinoma Is Mediated by RhoA Activation in Cancer Stem-Like Cells
Investigators examined RhoA activity and RhoA pathway inhibition in diffuse type of gastric adenocarcinoma (DGA) cell lines and in two mouse xenograft models. RhoA activity was higher in DGA compared to intestinal type GA cell lines, and was further increased when grown as spheroids to enrich for cancer stem-like cells (CSC) or when sorted using the gastric CSC marker CD44. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract

Positive Regulation of β-Catenin–PROX1 Signaling Axis by DBC1 in Colon Cancer Progression
Researchers investigated the role of DBC1, which was recently reported as a negative regulator of SIRT1 and a transcriptional coactivator, in the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Loss of DBC1 inhibited growth and tumorigenic potential of colon cancer cells, and DBC1 expression correlated with shorter relapse-free survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. [Oncogene] Abstract

Multipotent Luminal Mammary Cancer Stem Cells Model Tumor Heterogeneity
The authors defined a model in which multiple tumor subtypes can originate from a single multipotent cancer stem cell that undergoes genetic and/or epigenetic evolution during tumor progression. [Breast Cancer Res] Full Article

Blockade of Autophagy Reduces Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Activity and Potentiates the Tumoricidal Effect of Gemcitabine
Researchers investigated the role of autophagy in regulating cancer stemness and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer. LC3 expression positively correlated with the expression of cancer stem cell markers aldehyde dehydrogenase 1, CD44, and CD133 in pancreatic cancer tissues. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

Metabolic Activation of Mitochondria in Glioma Stem Cells Promotes Cancer Development through a Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Mechanism
Investigators suggest that reactive oxygen species generated from active mitochondrial respiration in the presence of serum is critical in cancer stem cell activation, which promotes tumor development in vivo. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Expression of Oct3/4 and Nanog in the Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma Cells and Its Clinical Implications for Delayed Neck Metastasis in Stage I/II Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Scientists aimed to determine the cancer stem cell markers in the side population of head and neck squamous carcinoma cells along with their functions in cellular behaviors, and to clarify the association of these markers with delayed neck metastasis. [BMC Cancer] Full Article

Involvement of Gelsolin in TGF-Beta 1 Induced Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer Cells
Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) acted on MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells by decreasing cell proliferation, changing cell morphology to a fibroblast-like shape, increasing expressions for CD44 and gelsolin, and increasing epithelial to mesenchymal transition expression and cell migration/invasion. [J Biomed Sci] Full Article

A Review on Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-1beta and Tumor
The authors discuss some of the current developments about hepatocyte nuclear factor-1beta (HNF1β) and tumors, the relationship between HNF1β and stem/progenitor cells, and the potential pathogenesis of HNF1β in various tumors. [Cell Biosci] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the Cancer Stem Cell research field.

Stem Cell Researcher Min Yu Receives the NIH’s New Innovator Award
As a winner of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, USC Stem Cell principal investigator Min Yu will strive to develop individualized medicine targeting rare and deadly breast cancer stem cells. The five-year, $2.475 million award is part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program supported by the NIH Common Fund. [Keck School of Medicine of USC] Press Release

Do Stem Cells Hold the Key to Breast Cancer Spread?
A $680,000 investment in breast cancer research is helping Dr. Ewa Michalak to find the stem cells that hold the key to how breast cancer spreads, and could lead to better treatments for the disease. [The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research] Press Release

New Anticancer Drug Discovery Company
A new company, Femtogenix Ltd, has been formed by King’s College London and Research Corporation Technologies (RCT). The main aim of Femtogenix is to develop a new generation of very potent molecules—known as ‘payloads’—that can be attached to targeting systems and then used as a form of highly specific chemotherapy to kill cancer cells with greatly reduced side effects. [King’s College London] Press Release

The National Foundation for Cancer Research Announces Expansion of Scientific Advisory Board
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced the expansion of its Scientific Advisory Board. The mission of the NFCR Scientific Advisory Board is to provide scientific, strategic, and clinical guidance and direction for NFCR basic science and translational research programs. [The National Foundation for Cancer Research] Press Release

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Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the Cancer Stem Cell community.

Research Associate – Pancreatic Cancer Modelling (University College London)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Leukemia Stem Cell Biology (Lund University)

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor – Hematopoietic Stem Cell Biology (Mayo Clinic)

Research Technician II – Stem Cell and Gene Therapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Positions – Stem Cell Biology (University of California Los Angeles)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell Biology (Stanford University)

Postdoctoral Positions – Stem Cell, Developmental, and Cancer Biology (University of California Santa Cruz)

Postdoctoral Positions – Stem Cell, Developmental, and Cancer Biology (Columbia University Medical Center)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell Biology (University of South Carolina)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Epigenetic Modifiers (Van Andel Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Biology (National Cancer Institute)

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