Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 7.38 | Sep 26 2018

TOP STORY

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1-Dependent Expression of Adenosine Receptor 2B Promotes Breast Cancer Stem Cell Enrichment

Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of adenosine receptor 2B expression or activity decreased hypoxia- or adenosine-induced breast CSC enrichment in vitro, and dramatically impaired tumor initiation and lung metastasis after implantation of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells into the mammary fat pad of immunodeficient mice. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

CD163, a Novel Therapeutic Target, Regulates the Proliferation and Stemness of Glioma Cells via Casein Kinase 2

CD163 was upregulated in CD133-positive glioma stem cells (GSCs), and CD163 downregulation decreased the expression of GSC markers. The knockdown of CD163 impaired GSC stemness by inhibiting the casein kinase 2/AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway. [Oncogene] Abstract

Targeting the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 5 Pathway to Suppress Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

Treatment in vitro of primary chronic myeloid leukemia cells with MEK5/ERK5 inhibitors, but not tyrosine kinase inhibitors, strikingly reduced culture repopulation ability, serial colony formation ability, long-term culture-initiating cells, and CD26-expressing cells. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Treatment of Human Glioblastoma with a Live Attenuated Zika Virus Vaccine Candidate

Scientists investigated the safety and efficacy of a live attenuated Zika virus vaccine candidate (ZIKV-LAV) for the treatment of human glioblastoma in a glioma stem cell (GSC)-derived orthotopic model. ZIKV-LAV significantly reduced intracerebral tumor growth and prolonged animal survival by selectively killing GSCs within the tumor. Mechanistically, ZIKV infection elicited antiviral immunity, inflammation, and GSC apoptosis. [MBio] Full Article | Press Release

ST8SIA1 Regulates Tumor Growth and Metastasis in TNBC by Activating the FAK-AKT-mTOR Signaling Pathway

CRISPR knockout of ST8SIA1 completely inhibited breast CSC (BCSC) functions, including in vitro tumorigenesis and mammosphere formation. Mechanistic studies discovered activation of the FAK-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway in GD2⁺ BCSCs, and its tight regulation by ST8SIA1. [Mol Cancer Ther] Abstract

Phosphoglycerate Dehydrogenase Inhibition Induces p-mTOR-Independent Autophagy and Promotes Multilineage Differentiation in Embryonal Carcinoma Stem-Like Cells

Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency impaired the tumorsphere formation capacity in embryonal carcinoma stem-like cells, breast cancer stem-like cells and patient-derived brain tumor-initiating cells, which was accompanied by the reduced expression of characteristic stemness-promoting factors. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Proscillaridin A Exerts Anti-Tumor Effects through GSK3β Activation and Alteration of Microtubule Dynamics in Glioblastoma

Proscillaridin A (ProA) displayed cytotoxic activity on tumor and stem-like cells grown in 2D and 3D culture, but not on healthy cells such as astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Even at sub-cytotoxic concentration, ProA impaired cell migration and disturbed EB1 accumulation at microtubule (MT) plus-ends and MT dynamics instability. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Galectin-3 Promotes CXCR2 to Augment the Stem-Like Property of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Upon suppressing galectin-3 (Gal-3) in parental renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells, invasion, colony formation, sphere-forming ability, drug resistance and stemness-related gene expression were all significantly decreased. CXCL6, CXCL7 and CXCR2 were down-regulated in Gal-3-knockdown tumor spheres, while CXCR2 overexpression in Gal-3-knockdown RCC restored the ability of sphere formation. [J Cell Mol Med] Full Article

Role of Heme Oxygenase-1 and Its Reaction Product, Carbon Monoxide, in Manifestation of Breast Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties: Notch-1 as a Putative Target

Carbon monoxide (CO) was endogenously generated as a consequence of degradation of heme by heme oxygenase-1. The proportion of populations of CD44⁺/CD24^– cells retaining CSC properties was increased in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with a CO-releasing molecule (CORM-2). Following CORM-2 treatment, the expression of Notch-1 and related genes Jagged-1 and Hes1 was increased, which was accompanied by mammosphere formation. [Free Radic Res] Abstract

Enrichment of Cancer Stem Cells by Agarose Multi-Well Dishes and 3D Spheroid Culture

Researchers adopted a novel method that efficiently enriched a certain amount of CSCs through agarose multi-well dishes using rubber micro-molds to make cancer cells into cell spheroids. These 3D cancer cell spheroids in the proportions of expression of CSC biomarkers were significantly higher than those of the conventional adherent culture using flow cytometry analysis. [Cell Tissue Res] Abstract

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A Rare Subgroup of Leukemia Stem Cells Harbors Relapse-Inducing Potential in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The authors review sources of therapy resistance and relapse in acute leukemias, which include tumor cell plasticity and reversible characteristics. They discuss possible therapeutic avenues to target the functional plasticity of leukemia-initiating cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [Exp Hematol] Abstract

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Amgen and Los Angeles County Announce Collaboration to Support Life Science Innovation Hub – BioLA

Amgen and the County of Los Angeles announced that Amgen has agreed to become a founding sponsor of BioLA, a newly formed organization focused on advancing a life science innovation hub in Los Angeles County. [Amgen Inc.] Press Release

AIVITA Biomedical Announces Treatment of First Patient in Phase II Ovarian Cancer Trial

AIVITA Biomedical announced that it has dosed its first of ten patients currently enrolled as part of its Phase II trial in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. The trial is designed to investigate AIVITA Biomedical’s patient-specific cancer treatment consisting of autologous dendritic cells loaded with autologous antigens from the patient’s tumor-initiating cells. [AIVITA Biomedical] Press Release

Science Learns from Its Mistakes Too

Scientific studies should always be published irrespective of their result. That is one of the conclusions of a research project conducted by the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the results of which have now been published in the journal PLOS ONE. [EurekAlert!] Editorial

Six Months to Brexit: How Scientists Are Preparing for the Split

The incredible is fast becoming the inevitable. Just six months from now, unless a political earthquake intervenes, the United Kingdom must leave the European Union. Yet the details of the March 2019 break-up are still muddy, and scientists are growing increasingly anxious — and angry — about how Brexit will alter their research and their lives. [Nature News] Editorial

Trump Administration Launches Review of Scientific Research Involving Fetal Tissue

The Trump administration has launched a comprehensive review of all research that involves fetal tissue, reopening an issue that has galvanized anti-abortion activists but worried scientists who fear their work could be under threat. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW AACR: The Hippo Pathway: Signaling, Cancer, and Beyond
May 8-11, 2019
San Diego, California, United States

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NEW Postdoctoral Fellowship Positions – Translational Leukemia (Lund University)

Postdoctoral and Research Associate Positions – Chromatin Remodeling Proteins in Normal Stem Cell & Cancer Biology (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Faculty Positions – Cancer Biology (The Wilmot Cancer Institute)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Leukemic Stem Cell Biology (McGill University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Leukemic Stem Cell Chemical Systems Medicine (University of Copenhagen)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer and Glioma Stem Cell Biology (Weill Cornell Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer Heterogeneity, Plasticity and Metastasis (International Clinical Research Center St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno)

Faculty Position – Cancer Biology (Emory University Hospital)

Research Scientist – Leukemia (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cells and Cancer Development (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute)

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