TY - JOUR TI - Novel molecular regulators of breast cancer stem cell plasticity and heterogeneity AU - Zhang, Rui AU - Tu, Juchuanli AU - Liu, Suling T2 - Seminars in Cancer Biology AB - Tumors consist of heterogeneous cell populations, and tumor heterogeneity plays key roles in regulating tumorigenesis, metastasis, recurrence and resistance to anti-tumor therapies. More and more studies suggest that cancer stem cells (CSCs) promote tumorigenesis, metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance as well as are the major source for heterogeneity of cancer cells. CD24−CD44+ and ALDH+ are the most common markers for breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Previous studies showed that different BCSC markers label different BCSC populations, indicating the heterogeneity of BCSCs. Therefore, defining the regulation mechanisms of heterogeneous BCSCs is essential for precisely targeting BCSCs and treating breast cancer. In this review, we summarized the novel regulators existed in BCSCs and their niches for BCSC heterogeneity which has been discovered in recent years, and discussed their regulation mechanisms and the latest corresponding cancer treatments, which will extend our understanding on BCSC heterogeneity and plasticity, and provide better prognosis prediction and more efficient novel therapeutic strategies for breast cancer. DA - 2021/03/15/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.03.008 DP - ScienceDirect J2 - Seminars in Cancer Biology LA - en SN - 1044-579X UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044579X21000584 Y2 - 2021/03/24/16:56:49 KW - Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) KW - Heterogeneity KW - Plasticity KW - Regulators ER -