Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 5.23 | Jun 15 2016

TOP STORY

Body’s Own Gene Editing System Generates Leukemia Stem Cells

Cancer stem cells are like zombies — even after a tumor is destroyed, they can keep coming back. These cells have an unlimited capacity to regenerate themselves, making more cancer stem cells and more tumors. Researchers have now unraveled how pre-leukemic white blood cell precursors become leukemia stem cells. [Press release from the University of California San Diego Schooldiscussing online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell] Press Release | Abstract | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Secreted Phospholipases A2 Are Intestinal Stem Cell Niche Factors with Distinct Roles in Homeostasis, Inflammation, and Cancer

Investigators identified secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) as stem cell niche factors with context-dependent functions in the digestive tract. They showed that group IIA sPLA2, a known genetic modifier of mouse intestinal tumorigenesis, is expressed by Paneth cells in the small intestine, while group X sPLA2 is expressed by Paneth/goblet-like cells in the colon. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

A Positive Regulatory Loop between a Wnt-Regulated Non-Coding RNA and ASCL2 Controls Intestinal Stem Cell Fate

Scientists identified a nuclear long non-coding RNA, termed WiNTRLINC1, as a direct target of TCF4/β-catenin in colorectal cancer cells. WiNTRLINC1 positively regulates the expression of its genomic neighbor ASCL2, a transcription factor that controls intestinal stem cell fate. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

COX-2 Induces Breast Cancer Stem Cells via EP4/PI3K/AKT/NOTCH/WNT Axis

Researchers revealed that cyclo-oxygenase(COX)-2 induces cancer stem-like cells (SLC) by EP4-mediated NOTCH/WNT signaling. Ectopic COX-2 over-expression in MCF-7 and SKBR-3 cell lines resulted in: increased migration/invasion/proliferation, EMT, elevated SLCs, increased ALDH activity and co-localization of COX-2 and SLC markers in spheroids. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Immunomodulatory Factors Control the Fate of Melanoma Tumor Initiating Cells

Scientists focused on the role of cyto/chemokines in shaping tumor-initiating cells (TICs) isolated directly from tumor specimens of two melanoma patients, namely Me-14346S and Me-15888S. They analyzed the secretion profile of TICs and of their corresponding melanoma differentiated cells and tested the ability of cyto/chemokines to influence TIC self-renewal and differentiation. [Stem Cells] Abstract

High-Throughput Single-Cell Derived Sphere Formation for Cancer Stem-Like Cell Identification and Analysis

Scientists presented a 1,024-microchamber microfluidic platform for single-cell derived sphere formation. Utilizing a hydrodynamic capturing scheme, more than 70% of the microchambers capture only one cell, allowing for monitoring of sphere formation from heterogeneous cancer cell populations for identification of cancer stem-like cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Aldh1 Expression and Activity Increase During Tumor Evolution in Sarcoma Cancer Stem Cell Populations

To study the evolution/emergence of cancer stem cells subpopulations during tumor progression, the authors compared the tumorigenic properties of bulk adherent cultures and tumorsphere-forming subpopulations both in the sarcoma cell-of-origin models and in their corresponding tumor xenograft-derived cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Targeting Atypical Protein Kinase C Iota Reduces Viability in Glioblastoma Stem-Like cells via a Notch Signaling Mechanism

Investigators showed that Protein Kinase C iota (PKCι) is overexpressed and activated in patient derived glioblastoma stem-like cell (GSC) compared with normal neural stem cells and normal brain lysate, and that silencing of PKCι in GSCs causes apoptosis, along with loss of clonogenicity and reduced proliferation. Notably, PKCι silencing reduces tumor growth in vivo in a xenograft mouse model. [Int J Cancer] Abstract

RBP2 Induces Stem-Like Cancer Cells by Promoting EMT and Is a Prognostic Marker for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Researchers investigated the role of retinoblastoma-binding protein-2 (RBP2), a histone demethylase that is highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is positively correlated with poor RCC prognosis in the regulation of epithelial-to mesenchymal transition (EMT). [Exp Mol Med] Full Article

Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus Kills Stem-Like Tumor-Initiating Colon Cancer Cells

Investigators sought proof of principle that tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are susceptible to viral infection. HCT8 human colon cancer cells were subjected to serum-free culture to generate TIC tumorspheres. Parent cells and TICs were infected with HSV-1 subtype NV1066. [Mol Ther Oncolytics] Full Article

YAP/TAZ at the Roots of Cancer

Recent work indicates that YAP/TAZ are essential for cancer initiation or growth of most solid tumors. Their activation induces cancer stem cell attributes, proliferation, chemoresistance, and metastasis. [Cancer Cell] Abstract

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Celator Pharmaceuticals^® Announces Positive Results in Patients with FLT3 Mutation from the Phase III Trial in High-Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive response rate results in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with FLT3 (FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3) mutation were presented. The results are from the company’s Phase III trial of VYXEOS™ (cytarabine: daunorubicin) Liposome for Injection in patients with high-risk AML. [Press release from Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discussing research presented at the 21^st European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress, Copenhagen] Press Release

Genomic Health Launches Oncotype SEQ™ Liquid Biopsy Mutation Panel

Genomic Health, Inc. announced the commercial launch of Oncotype SEQ™ Liquid Select, the first of several non-invasive liquid biopsy tests that the company plans to deliver through its Oncotype IQ™ Genomic Intelligence Platform. Oncotype SEQ is a blood-based test that uses next-generation sequencing to identify and assess actionable genomic alterations in a panel of 17 select genes to inform the treatment of stage IV solid tumors, including lung, breast, colon, melanoma, ovarian, and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. [Genomic Health, Inc.] Press Release

PharmaMar Announces the Start of a Pivotal Study with Plitidepsin in Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma

PharmaMar announced the start of a multicenter, prospective, pivotal study to analyze the efficacy of the antitumoral compound of marine origin, plitidepsin in patients with relapsed and refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. [PharmaMar] Press Release

Vigilant Biosciences Announces Three New Distribution Agreements for OncAlert™ Oral Cancer Product Line for Europe, Africa and Latin America

Vigilant Biosciences, Inc. announced three exclusive multi-year distribution agreements for sales and marketing of its OncAlert™ Oral Cancer product line in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, South Africa, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. [Vigilant Biosciences, Inc.] Press Release

NEW International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering 2016
October 23-26, 2016
Toronto, Canada

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

NEW Senior Cancer Analyst – 100,000 Genomes Project (Queen Mary University of London)

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – DNA Damage Signaling (University of Oxford)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Biology of Tumor Initiating Cells (German Cancer Research Center)

Assistant Professor – Molecular Pharmacology, Systems Biology, Cancer Therapeutics (German Cancer Research Center)

Senior Research Scientist – Drug Discovery in Cancer (Vertex Pharmaceuticals)

Team Leader – Immune-Oncology (Fondation Toulouse Cancer Sante)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Cancer Stem Cells (Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Girona)

Postdoctoral Training Fellow – Role of RNA Polymerase III in Cancer (Institute of Cancer Research)

Associate Director – Scientific Operations (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

Senior Scientist and Laboratory Manager – Novel Biomarkers of Disease (Manchester Cancer Research Centre)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Adaptive T-Cell Therapy for Cancer (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Myeloid Cells in Cancer Patients (The Wistar Institute)

Faculty Position – Multidisciplinary Research Programs (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Genome and Epigenome of Pediatric Cancer (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Group Leader – Normal Epithelium and Cancer Stem Cells (Institut Curie)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Prostate Epithelial Homeostasis and Carcinogenesis (Baylor College of Medicine)

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