Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 6.04 | Feb 1 2017

TOP STORY

Can Prostate Cancer Metastasis Be Stopped before It Starts? Research Team Identifies Role for Particular MicroRNA

Researchers found that one specific microRNA molecule, miR-141, not only inhibited tumor growth but significantly retarded cancer metastasis in several preclinical prostate cancer models. Taken together with the findings from previous studies reporting the molecule’s powerful tumor-suppression capability, the current study demonstrates the potential of miR-141 as an inhibitor of prostate cancer cell invasion and metastasis, and suggests that synthetic miR-141 may be developed as a “replacement” therapeutic to target prostate cancer metastasis. [Press release from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute discussing online prepublication in Nature Communications] Press Release | Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Lung Basal Stem Cells Rapidly Repair DNA Damage Using the Error-Prone Nonhomologous End-Joining Pathway

Investigators showed that human basal stem cells (BSCs) isolated from heavy smokers proliferate extensively, whereas their alveolar progenitor cell counterparts have limited colony-forming capacity. They demonstrated that this difference arises in part because of the ability of BSCs to repair their DNA more efficiently than alveolar cells following ionizing radiation or chemical-induced DNA damage. [PLoS Biol] Full Article | Press Release

Differentiated State of Initiating Tumor Cells Is Key to Distinctive Immune Responses Seen in H-Ras^G12V-Induced Squamous Tumors

In two doxycycline-inducible models where oncogenic H-Ras^G12V is targeted either to the epidermal basal/stem cell layer with a Keratin14-rtTA transgene, or committed progenitor/suprabasal cells with an Involucrin-tTA transgene, investigators observed strikingly distinct tumor immune responses. These data showed that position of tumor initiating cells within a stratified squamous epithelial tissue provokes distinct B and CD4 T cell interactions. [Cancer Immunol Res] Abstract

OV6⁺ Cancer Stem Cells Drive Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression through ATG7-Dependent β-Catenin Stabilization

The authors demonstrated that OV6 expression was closely associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients’ clinical outcome and prognosis. OV6⁺ cells possessed stronger stem-like properties, including self-renewal, stem cell-associated gene expression, tumorigenicity, chemo-resistance, invasion, and metastasis. [Cancer Lett] Abstract

Interplay between CCR7 and Notch1 Axes Promotes Stemness in MMTV-PyMT Mammary Cancer Cells

Researchers used a combination of molecular and cellular assays on primary mammary tumor cells from the MMTV-PyMT transgenic mouse with or without CCR7 to examine the signaling crosstalk between CCR7 and Notch pathways. They showed that CCR7 functionally intersects with the Notch signaling pathway to regulate mammary cancer stem-like cells. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

Up-Regulated NRIP2 in Colorectal Cancer Initiating Cells Modulates the Wnt Pathway by Targeting RORβ

Via retroviral library screening, scientists identified nuclear receptor-interacting protein 2 (NRIP2) as a novel interactor of the Wnt pathway from enriched colorectal cancer colosphere cells. NRIP2 was significantly up-regulated in colorectal cancer initiating cells from both cell lines and primary colorectal cancer tissues. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

CD133⁺ Cancer Stem Cells Promoted by VEGF Accelerate the Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Investigators found that a dramatic increase in plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and an induction of local CD133⁺ cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with early hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence. In vitro studies demonstrated that VEGF, via activation of VEGFR2, increased the number of CD133⁺ CSCs and enhanced their capacity for self-renewal by inducing the expression of Nanog. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Synergistic Activity of N-Hydroxy-7-(2-Naphthylthio) Heptanomide and Sorafenib against Cancer Stem Cells, Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

The goal of this study was to investigate the anti-tumor activities of a HDAC inhibitor, N-hydroxy-7-(2-naphthylthio) hepatonomide (HNHA) alone and in combination with sorafenib in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) cells in vitro and in vivo and to explore its effects on apoptotic cell death pathways. Data showed that HNHA and sorafenib synergistically decreased cell viability in ATC cells, and also significantly increased apoptotic cell death in these cells, as proved by the cleavage of caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation. [Neoplasia] Full Article

Zinc Suppresses Stem Cell Properties of Lung Cancer Cells through Protein Kinase C-Mediated Beta-Catenin Degradation

Scientists revealed that zinc can suppress stem cell properties of lung cancer cells. Such findings were proved in different lung cancer cell lines and it was found that cancer stem cell markers, stem cell-associated transcription factors, and the ability to form tumor spheroid were dramatically suppressed by zinc treatments. [Am J Physiol Cell Physiol] Abstract

Long Non-Coding RNA HOTAIR Regulates the Proliferation, Self-Renewal Capacity, Tumor Formation and Migration of the Cancer Stem-Like Cell (CSC) Subpopulation Enriched from Breast Cancer Cells

The goal was to determine the regulatory functions of HOTAIR in the processes of self-renewal capacity, tumor formation and proliferation of CSCs derived from breast cancer. After the identification of CSC properties, RT-qPCR analysis revealed that HOTAIR, but not other cancer-associated long non-coding RNAs, is highly upregulated in both CSC-MCF7 and CSC-MB231 populations compared with MCF7 and MB231 populations. [PLoS One] Full Article

Cancer Stem-Like Cells Can Be Induced through Dedifferentiation under Hypoxic Conditions in Glioma, Hepatoma and Lung Cancer

Studies have shown that OCT-4 and Nanog overexpression induced the formation of cancer stem cell-like cells through dedifferentiation and enhanced malignancy in lung adenocarcinoma, and reprogramming SOX-2 in pancreatic cancer cells also promoted the dedifferentiation process. Researchers investigated this phenomenon in glioma, lung cancer and hepatoma cells and found that the transcription factors mentioned before were highly expressed under hypoxic conditions and induced the formation of spheres, which exhibited asymmetric division and cell cycle arrest. [Cell Death Discov] Full Article

Emerging Drugs Targeting Epithelial Cancer Stem-Like Cells: A Concise Review

Selective targeting of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) may provide therapeutic benefit and several recent reports have indicated this may be possible. The authors review drugs targeting CSCs, in selected epithelial cell-derived cancers. [Stem Cells] Abstract

The Evolving Concept of Liver Cancer Stem Cells

In the past few decades, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified and characterized in many tumors including liver cancer. Researchers review the recent advances in the understanding of the biology of liver CSCs and the development of strategies for their treatment. [Mol Cancer] Full Article

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

Verastem Announces Dosing of First Patient in Combination Trial of Defactinib and Avelumab in Patients with Ovarian Cancer

Verastem, Inc. announced dosing of the first patient in a new clinical trial evaluating avelumab, an investigational fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with Verastem’s defactinib, an investigational focal adhesion kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. [Verastem, Inc.] Press Release

Perthera, Inc. Enters a Collaboration with Major Pharmaceutical Company to Identify Cancer Patients for Clinical Trials

Perthera, Inc. announced that Novartis will use Perthera’s unique cancer patient network to identify breast and lung cancer patients for targeted therapy trials. [Perthera, Inc. (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

ESSA Receives US$4.0 Million Grant Payment from Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

ESSA Pharma Inc. announced the receipt of a US$4.0 million payment from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. The payment is part of a total non-dilutive grant of US$12.0 million, repayable out of potential product revenues, which was originally awarded in February 29, 2014. [ESSA Pharma Inc. (PR Newswire Association LLC.)] Press Release

On 22 April, Empiricists around the Country Will March for Science

The grassroots team coordinating the March for Science on Washington, D.C., have now set a date: 22 April. And they are inviting organizers in cities around the world to lead parallel demonstrations. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Meet the Scientists Affected by Trump’s Immigration Ban

Order barring citizens of seven countries from entering the United States has left many confused and afraid. Nature spoke to more than 20 researchers affected by the new policy, who described their feelings of fear, shock and determination. [Nature News] Editorial

Mexican Scientists Feel the Trump Effect

Trump’s harsh stance toward Mexico has made scientists nervous about the fate of U.S. funding for cross-border collaborations. “The worry is that [Trump] will limit, or perhaps end, some of the academic exchange we have,” either through new regulations or by cutting off money for collaborations, says Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi, a geophysicist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and president of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. The U.S. National Science Foundation currently supports about 200 projects with Mexican collaborators. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW AACR Annual Meeting 2017
April 1-5, 2017
Washington, D.C., United States

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

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cells (Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)

NEW Principal Investigator – Cancer Research and Oncology Drug Discovery (Southern Research Institute)

Research Fellow – Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (National University of Singapore)

Research Associate/Assistant – Leukemia and Stem Cell Biology (King’s College London)

Principal Scientist – Oncology (Janssen)

Postdoctoral Research – Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Brain Cancer Stem Cells (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Assistant Professor – Molecular Therapeutics of Cancer (Dartmouth College)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Immunotherapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Viruses and Cancer (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Liver Cancer and Developmental Biology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Genetics/Epigenetics (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell Cycle Control and Tumorigenesis (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Ubiquitin System and Cancer (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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