Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 4.41 | Oct 28 2015

Targeting Cancer Stem Cell in Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer
Scientists demonstrated immortalized normal human prostate epithelial cells, which appeared non-tumorigenic in vivo, become tumorigenic and acquired a stem cell phenotype after knocking down a tumor suppressor gene. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract

FOXC1 Activates Smoothened-Independent Hedgehog Signaling in Basal-Like Breast Cancer
Scientists demonstrated that FOXC1 controls cancer stem cell (CSC) properties enriched in basal-like breast cancer cells via activation of Smoothened-independent Hedgehog (Hh) signaling. This non-canonical activation of Hh is specifically mediated by Gli2. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Cardamonin Reduces Chemotherapy-Enriched Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells In Vitro and In Vivo
Investigators demonstrated that cardamonin, a small molecule, selectively inhibits breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have been enriched by chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, cardamonin also sufficiently prevents the enrichment of CSCs when simultaneously used with chemotherapeutic drugs. [Oncotarget] Full Article

miRNA-Regulated Delivery of lincRNA-p21 Suppresses β-Catenin Signaling and Tumorigenicity of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells
The authors report that large intergenic non-coding RNA p21 (lincRNA-p21) is a potent suppressor of stem-like traits of cancer stem cells purified from both primary colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Overshoot during Phenotypic Switching of Cancer Cell Populations
Investigators sorted human melanoma cells using three distinct cancer stem cell (CSC) markers — CXCR6, CD271 and ABCG2 — and observed that the fraction of non-CSC-marked cells first overshoots to a higher level and then returns to the level of unsorted cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

The Role of miR-145 in Stem Cell Characteristics of Human Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Hep-2 Cells
Researchers explored the role of miR-145, which is downregulated in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, on cancer stem cell potency of laryngeal cancer cells. They showed the downregulation of miR-145 expression in tumor tissue samples and in CD133-enriched cancer stem-like cells. [Tumor Biol] Abstract

Enhanced G2/M Arrest, Caspase Related Apoptosis and Reduced E-Cadherin Dependent Intercellular Adhesion by Trabectedin in Prostate Cancer Stem Cells
Investigators studied the effect of trabectedin in cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis and spheroid formation in prostate cancer stem cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

Functional Studies of miR-130a on the Inhibitory Pathways of Apoptosis in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Scientists investigated the function of miR130a in p53 tumor suppressor signaling pathway. They performed microRNA expression profile analysis in chronic myeloid leukemia cancer stem cells of 38 cases and extracted total RNA from peripheral blood of 143 cases. [Cancer Gene Ther] Abstract

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SCRA Technology Ventures Company Kiyatec Awarded $1.725 Million to Advance Cancer STEM Cell Expansion
SCRA Technology Ventures’ SC Launch company KIYATEC announced an award of a Fast Track Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract for $1.725M from the National Cancer Institute. The overall goal of the contract is to develop culture systems which can grow and maintain the rare population of malignant cells referred to by some as cancer stem cells, which are believed to lead to therapy resistance, relapse and death from metastatic disease. [SCRA Technology Ventures] Press Release

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NEW PhD Studentships – Cancer Research (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute)

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