Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 7.14 | Apr 11 2018

TOP STORY

Telomerase-Expressing Liver Cells Regenerate the Organ

A subset of liver cells with high levels of telomerase renews the organ during normal cell turnover and after injury, according to researchers. The cells may also give rise to liver cancer. [Press release from Stanford Medicine discussing online prepublication in Nature] Press Release | Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Machine Learning Identifies Stemness Features Associated with Oncogenic Dedifferentiation

Scientists provide novel stemness indices for assessing the degree of oncogenic dedifferentiation. They used an innovative one-class logistic regression (OCLR) machine-learning algorithm to extract transcriptomic and epigenetic feature sets derived from non-transformed pluripotent stem cells and their differentiated progeny. [Cell] Abstract | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Reciprocal Signaling between Glioblastoma Stem Cells and Differentiated Tumor Cells Promotes Malignant Progression

Investigators interrogated reciprocal signaling between glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) and their differentiated glioblastoma cell (DGC) progeny. They found that DGCs accelerated GSC tumor growth. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Inhibition of Cancer Stem Cell Like Cells by a Synthetic Retinoid

Scientists describe a novel synthetic retinoid, namely WYC-209, which inhibits proliferation of malignant murine melanoma tumor-repopulating cells, known to resist conventional drug treatment, with an IC₅₀ of 0.19-μM in a dose-dependent manner. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Disruption of IFN-I Signaling Promotes HER2/Neu Tumor Progression and Breast Cancer Stem Cells

IFN-I receptor^-/- neu^+/- (IFNAR-neuT) tumors exhibited deregulation of genes having adverse prognostic value in breast cancer patients, including the breast cancer stem cell (BCSC) marker aldehyde dehydrogenase-1A1 (ALDH1A1). An increased number of BCSCs were observed in IFNAR-neuT tumors, as assessed by ALDH1A1 enzymatic activity, clonogenic assay, and tumorigenic capacity. [Cancer Immunol Res] Abstract

Gambogic Acid Efficiently Kills Stem-Like Colorectal Cancer Cells by Upregulating ZFP36 Expression

Researchers investigated whether gambogic acid inhibits the CSCs of colorectal cancer and its possible mechanisms. [Cell Physiol Biochem] Full Article

Lgr5⁺CD44⁺EpCAM⁺ Strictly Defines Cancer Stem Cells in Human Colorectal Cancer

Lgr5-positive subpopulations exhibited higher capacities for colony formation, self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity as well as higher expression of stemness genes and mesenchymal genes and lower expression of epithelial genes than did Lgr5-negative subpopulations. [Cell Physiol Biochem] Full Article

TBX21 Predicts Prognosis of Patients and Drives Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance via the TBX21-IL-4 Pathway in Lung Adenocarcinoma

The authors indicated that downregulating TBX21 in lung cancer cells decreased the fraction of cancer stem cells and their sphere and tumor initiation frequency. They showed that TBX21 activation transduced a TBX21-IL-4 signaling cascade to promote tumor initiation, tumor growth and expression of stemness markers. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Wnt/β-Catenin Modulates Chronic Tobacco Smoke Exposure-Induced Acquisition of Pulmonary Cancer Stem Cell Properties and Diallyl Trisulfide Intervention

Researchers demonstrated that long-term exposure of human bronchial epithelial cells to tobacco smoke resulted in malignant transformation and acquisition of CSC-like properties. [Toxicol Lett] Abstract

Oxidative Stress Enhances Tumorigenicity and Stem-Like Features via the Activation of the Wnt/β-Catenin/MYC/Sox2 Axis in ALK-Positive Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma

To illustrate and study cancer cell plasticity in hematopoietic cancers, scientists employed an in vitro experimental model of ALK-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma that is based on the phenotypic and functional dichotomy of these cells, with cells responsive to a Sox2 reporter being significantly more stem-like than those unresponsive to the reporter. [BMC Cancer] Full Article

Quercetin Reversed MDR in Breast Cancer Cells through Down-Regulating P-gp Expression and Eliminating Cancer Stem Cells Mediated by YB-1 Nuclear Translocation

Scientists showed that quercetin (Que) significantly enhanced the antitumor activities of doxorubicin (Dox), paclitaxel (Pac), and vincristine (Vcr) in breast cancer cells. In addition, combined treatment of Dox, Pac, or Vcr with Que significantly downregulated P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and eliminated breast cancer stem cells. [Phytother Res] Abstract

Omega-3 Fatty Acid DHA Modulates p53, Survivin, and MicroRNA-16-1 Expression in KRAS-Mutant Colorectal Cancer Stem-Like Cells

Researchers investigated whether in vitro concentrations of DHA equal to human plasma levels, are able to modulate, Wt-p53, survivin, and microRNA-16-1 in colorectal cancer cells with stem cell-like properties. [Genes Nutr] Full Article

Mechanisms of Wnt Signaling and Control

The authors summarize the current understanding of how Wnt signals are generated and interpreted. [Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med] Full Article

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

Cancer Researchers Receive More Than $2 Million to Eradicate Common Form of Leukemia

Christoph Rader, PhD, associate professor at the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, has been awarded a $2.875 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop unique antibody-drug conjugates engineered to eradicate one of the most common forms of leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. [The Scripps Research Institute] Press Release

UMN Receives $42.6 Million to Expand Impact on Scientific Health Research

The University of Minnesota’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute received more than $42 million in renewed National Institutes of Health funding through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences’ Clinical and Translational Science Award program. [University of Minnesota] Press Release

£2.4m Boost for Brain Tumor Research

Scientists at Edinburgh are to receive £2.4 million to find new ways to tackle brain tumors. The funding from leading charity Cancer Research UK will help researchers to understand more about how to target tumors with drugs. [The University of Edinburgh] Press Release

Spanish Research Gets a Nice Budget Boost—but Scientists Say It Will Be of Little Help

The Spanish government has announced plans to raise the country’s overall public R&D budget by 8.3% in 2018, from €6.5 billion to €7 billion—the biggest hike since the economic crisis hit Spain in 2008. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Web of Science Owner Buys Tool that Offers One-Click Access to Journal Articles

The owner of the large scholarly search engine Web of Science — Clarivate Analytics — has bought a start-up company whose tool gives researchers one-click, legal access to journal articles even when off campus. [Nature News] Editorial

India Creates Unique Tiered System to Punish Plagiarism

The Indian government has adopted its first regulations on academic plagiarism—rules that some researchers say are too lenient and others fear go too far and will be difficult to implement. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Got Data? Survey of 2017 March for Science Doesn’t Make the Grade

A group of researchers has released the first results of a large survey of those who participated in and supported last year’s March for Science. Some social scientists say the analysis is fundamentally flawed and reflects poorly on an organization that champions scientific rigor. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Science’s Vast Gender Pay Gap Revealed in UK Wage Data

Many UK science employers pay women much less than men, and some institutions are far less equal than others, according to an analysis conducted by Nature of statistics released last week. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW LabRoots: 2^nd Annual Cell Biology Virtual Event
September 26-27, 2018
Online

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

NEW Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer Research (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)

Professor – Cancer Stem Cell Research (Cardiff University)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer, Immunotherapy, and Fibrosis (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Research Scientist – Gynecologic Cancers (The UCLA G.O. Discovery Laboratory)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Phylogenetics (Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School)

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)

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

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