Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 7.11 | Mar 21 2018

TOP STORY

Salivary Gland Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts Enable Characterization of Cancer Stem Cells and New Gene Fusions Associated with Tumor Progression

For successive mucoepidermoid carcinoma relapses scientists found a time-dependent increase in CSCs, increasing from 0.2% to 4.5%, but more importantly they observed an increase in individual CSC sphere formation and tumorigenic potential. [Clin Cancer Res] Abstract

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CD73 Regulates Stemness and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Ovarian Cancer-Initiating Cells

Investigators capitalized on primary cells either from ovarian carcinoma or from its tissues of origin to obtain the transcriptomic profile associated with ovarian cancer-initiating cells (OCICs). Among the genes differentially expressed in OCICs, they focused on CD73, which encodes the membrane-associated 5′-ectonucleotidase. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Epigenetic Restriction of Hippo Signaling by MORC2 Underlies Stemness of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Scientists report a novel epigenetic mechanism of Hippo inactivation in the context of hepatocellular carcinoma. They identified a member of the microrchidia (MORC) protein family, MORC2, as an inhibitor of the Hippo pathway by controlling upstream Hippo regulators, neurofibromatosis 2 and kidney and brain protein. [Cell Death Differ] Abstract

Linc00210 Drives Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Activation and Liver Tumor Progression through CTNNBIP1-Dependent Manner

Using transcriptome microarray analysis, investigators identified a frequently amplified long noncoding RNA in liver cancer termed linc00210, which was highly expressed in liver cancer and liver tumor initiating cells. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

β2 Spectrin-Mediated Differentiation Repressed the Properties of Liver Cancer Stem Cells through β-Catenin

Scientists investigated whether the disruption of βII-spectrin (β2SP) contributed to tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through the dedifferentiation. Down-regulation of β2SP in hepatocytes was observed in cirrhotic liver and HCC. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Evaluation of the Selective Toxic Effect of the Charge Switchable Diethyldithiocarbamate-Loaded Nanoparticles between Hepatic Normal and Cancerous Cells

Coated nanoparticles showed the highest selective apoptosis-mediated toxicity only in murine hepatoma cells that may attribute to suppression of NF-κB expression and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)1A1 activity, subsequently collapsing 89.7% CD133⁺CSCs. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Expressional Changes in Stemness Markers Post Electrochemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

The authors illustrated electrochemotherapy as an effective treatment for pancreatic cancer along with the expression change in stemness genes in pancreatic cancer cells post electrochemotherapy with bleomycin, cisplatin and oxaliplatin. [Bioelectrochemistry] Abstract

Therapeutic and Preventive Effects of Osteoclastogenesis Inhibitory Factor on Osteolysis, Proliferation of Mammary Tumor Cell and Induction of Cancer Stem Cells in the Bone Microenvironment

Investigators examined the effects of recombinant human osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor on osteolysis, proliferation of mammary tumor cells, and induction of CSCs in the tumor-bone and tumor-subcutaneous microenvironments. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Enrichment of Glioma Stem Cell-Like Cells on 3D Porous Scaffolds Composed of Different Extracellular Matrix

A glioma cell line was cultured with 3D porous chitosan scaffolds or chitosan-hyaluronic acid scaffolds to explore the possibility of glioma stem cells-like cells enrichment, to study the morphology, gene expression, and in vivo tumorigenicity of 3D scaffolds cells, and to compare results to 2D controls. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Abstract

The Role of Aurora-A in Cancer Stem Cells

The authors address the role of Aurora-A in CSCs, as well as the outcomes of clinical trials assessing Aurora-A-specific small molecular inhibitors. [Int J Biochem Cell Biol] Abstract

Antipsychotic Dopamine Receptor Antagonists, Cancer, and Cancer Stem Cells

Scientists describe current aspects of CSC-targeting therapeutics, antipsychotic dopamine receptor antagonists, and their extraordinary abilities to fight cancer. [Arch Pharm Res] Abstract

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

AbbVie and the International Myeloma Foundation Announce Partnership to Study the Role of a Genetic Mutation in Outcomes of Patients with Multiple Myeloma

AbbVie and the International Myeloma Foundation announced they have entered into a collaboration to conduct a landmark retrospective chart review study to better understand and help manage multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer. [AbbVie Inc.] Press Release

Humanigen Completes Enrollment of Phase I Clinical Trial of Lenzilumab for Treatment of Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Humanigen, Inc. announced it has completed patient enrollment in the ongoing Phase I trial of lenzilumab in patients with previously treated chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. [Humanigen, Inc.] Press Release

HIV Researcher Is New Head of US Public-Health Agency

HIV researcher Robert Redfield will lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar announced. [Nature News] Editorial

Reporter’s Notebook: House Budget Hearing Shows Science Chairman’s Impact on NSF Peer Review

Representative Lamar Smith has repeatedly criticized the peer-review process at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Alexandria, Virginia, since becoming chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’s science committee in 2013. It was no surprise, then, that during a hearing on NSF’s 2019 budget request he railed against a handful of grants from NSF’s $6 billion research portfolio as a waste of taxpayer dollars. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Chinese Leaders Create Super Science Ministry

Chinese leaders released plans to expand the powers of the country’s science and technology ministry. The beefed-up agency will continue to oversee science policy and major projects, but will take on extra responsibilities for funding research grants and for recruiting foreign scientists. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW 23^rd Congress of European Hematology Association (EHA)
June 14-17, 2018
Stockholm, Sweden

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

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cells and Breast Cancer (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer Research (German Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Leukemia and Cancer Biology (Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Cell and Molecular Biology (Canadian Nuclear Laboratories)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Research (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Assistant/Associate Investigator/Professor – Gastrointestinal Cancers (Baylor Scott & White Research Institute)

Senior Bioinformatician – Cancer Research (Children´s Cancer Research Institute)

PhD Program – Cellular Biology (Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Biology (Johns Hopkins University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Faculty Positions – Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (Sun Yat-Sen University)

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