Hypoxia Promotes Cancer Stem Cells via ID2-Dependent VHL Inactivation The authors reported that hypoxia inactivates DYRK1, preventing ID2 phosphorylation and promoting cancer stem cells and HIF2α stabilization. [Cancer Discov] Abstract Nuclear AURKA Acquires Kinase-Independent Transactivating Function to Enhance Breast Cancer Stem Cell Phenotype Scientists showed that AURKA translocates to the nucleus and causes distinct oncogenic properties in malignant cells by enhancing breast cancer stem cell phenotype. [Nat Commun] Full Article Ginsenoside Rh2 Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma through β-Catenin and Autophagy Researchers treated human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells with different doses of ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2), and found that GRh2 dose-dependently reduced HCC viability, in either CCK-8 assay or MTT assay. The effects of GRh2 on the cancer stem cell (CSC)-like cells were determined by ALDEFLUOR™ flow cytometry and by tumor sphere formation, showing that GRh2 dose-dependently decreased the number of these CSC-like cells in HCC. [Sci Rep] Full Article Identification of Distinct Breast Cancer Stem Cell Populations Based on Single-Cell Analyses of Functionally Enriched Stem and Progenitor Pools By combining extensive single-cell gene expression profiling with three functional strategies for cancer stem cell enrichment including anchorage-independent culture, hypoxia, and analyses of low-proliferative, label-retaining cells derived from mammospheres, researchers identified distinct stem cell clusters in breast cancer. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract Role of a Polyphenol-Enriched Preparation on Chemoprevention of Mammary Carcinoma through Cancer Stem Cells and Inflammatory Pathways Modulation This study evaluated the effect of a polyphenol-enriched blueberry preparation and its non-fermented counterpart, on mammary cancer stem cell development in in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo settings. [J Transl Med] Full Article Alpinetin Targets Glioma Stem Cells by Suppressing Notch Pathway Researchers found that alpinetin, a natural compound, can suppress the proliferation and invasiveness of glioma stem cells (GSCs) and induce apoptosis in GSCs. [Tumour Biol] Abstract SPARC Expression Is Selectively Suppressed in Tumor Initiating Urospheres Isolated from As+3- and Cd+2-Transformed Human Urothelial Cells (UROtsa) Stably Transfected with SPARC Urospheres isolated from cultures of the SPARC-transfected arsenite (As+3)-and cadmium (Cd+2)-transformed cell lines were shown to have only background expression of SPARC. Urospheres from both the non-transfected and SPARC-transfected cell lines were tumorigenic and thus fit the definition for a population of tumor initiating cells. [PLoS One] Full Article Overexpression of SDF-1 Activates the NF-κB Pathway to Induce Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Cancer Stem Cell-Like Phenotypes of Breast Cancer Cells Scientists screened MCF-7 cells with low stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) expression level for the purpose of evaluating whether SDF-1 is involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell-like phenotype formation in MCF-7 cells. [Int J Oncol] Abstract Long Non-Coding RNA BACE1-AS Is a Novel Target for Anisomycin-Mediated Suppression of Ovarian Cancer Stem Cell Proliferation and Invasion Researchers explored whether anisomycin could suppress human ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs) proliferation and invasion. The CD44+/CD117+ OCSCs were enriched from human clinical ovarian tumor tissues. [Oncol Rep] Abstract Phenotypic Plasticity Determines Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutic Resistance in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Examining oral squamous cell carcinoma, researchers showed that increased phenotypic plasticity, the ability to undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)/mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET), underlies increased cancer stem cells therapeutic resistance within both the epithelial and post-EMT sub-populations. [EBioMedicine] Full Article |