Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 7.37 | Sep 19 2018

TOP STORY

LncGata6 Maintains Stemness of Intestinal Stem Cells and Promotes Intestinal Tumorigenesis

The Gata6 long noncoding RNA (lncGATA6) was highly expressed in the cancer stem cells of colorectal cancer and promoted tumor initiation and progression. Antisense oligonucleotides against lncGATA6 exhibited strong therapeutic efficacy on colorectal cancer. [Nat Cell Biol] Abstract

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Glycoprotein Nmb Is Exposed on the Surface of Dormant Breast Cancer Cells and Induces Stem Cell-Like Properties

Researchers isolated cell surface-glycoprotein nmb (GPNMB)high and -GPNMBlow cells from 3D spheres. Cell surface-GPNMBhigh cells expressed high levels of CSC genes and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-transcription factor genes, had significantly higher sphere-forming frequencies than the cell surface-GPNMBlow cells, and showed no detectable levels of proliferation marker genes. [Cancer Res] Abstract

SIRT2-Mediated Inactivation of p73 Is Required for Glioblastoma Tumorigenicity

Scientists showed that the lysine deacetylase SIRT2 was required for the proliferation and tumorigenicity of glioblastoma cells, including glioblastoma stem cells. They demonstrated that SIRT2 regulated p73 transcriptional activity by deacetylation of its C-terminal lysine residues. [EMBO Rep] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

miR-30 Family Reduction Maintains Self-Renewal and Promotes Tumorigenesis in NSCLC-Initiating Cells by Targeting Oncogene TM4SF1

Investigators found the miR-30 family to be downregulated during the spheroid formation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. miR-30a/c significantly inhibited stem-like characteristics in vitro and in vivo via suppression of its target gene transmembrane 4 super family member 1 (TM4SF1) and then inhibited the activity of the mTOR/AKT signaling pathway. [Mol Ther] Abstract

4Mu Decreases CD47 Expression on Hepatic Cancer Stem Cells and Primes a Potent Antitumor T-Cell Response Induced by Interleukin-12

4-Methylumbelliferone (4Mu) downregulated the expression of the CSC marker CD47⁺ on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, promoted phagocytosis by antigen presenting cells and, combined with adenovirus encoding interleukin-12 genes, elicited a potent cytotoxic specific T cell response. Animal survival was increased when CD133 low HCC cells, generated upon 4Mu treatment, were injected in a metastatic HCC model. [Mol Ther] Abstract

Targeting LRP8 Inhibits Breast Cancer Stem Cells in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Knockdown of LRP8 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling, decreased breast CSCs, and suppressed tumorigenic potential in xenograft models. LRP8 knockdown also induced a more differentiated, luminal-epithelial phenotype and thus sensitized the TNBC cells to chemotherapy. [Cancer Lett] Abstract

Exosomes from BM-MSCs Increase the Population of CSCs via Transfer of miR-142-3p

Scientists found that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (BM-MSC)-derived exosomes contained distinct microRNAs, including miR-142-3p, which in turn increased the population of CSCs in colon cancer cells. Depriving miR-142-3p from BM-MSC-derived exosomes clearly decreased the population of colon CSCs. [Br J Cancer] Abstract

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Secreted Extracellular Vesicles Containing Ceramide-1-Phosphate Promote Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Motility

Bioactive sphingolipid induced migration of pancreatic CSCs (PCSCs) and signaling was specific to ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P). Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells expressed the C1P converting enzyme ceramide kinase, secreted C1P-containing extracellular vesicles that mediated PCSC migration, and when co-injected with PCSC reduced animal survival in a PDAC peritoneal dissemination model. [Biochem Pharmacol] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Cells with Stemness Features Are Generated from In Vitro Transformed Human Fibroblasts

In vitro transformed human fibroblasts (cen3tel cells) and the tumorsphere assay were used to search for and possibly characterize CSCs in transformed somatic cells. Cen3tel cells formed spheres showing self-renewal capacity and Sox2 overexpression, suggesting that they contained a subset of cells with CSC-like features. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Diflunisal-Adjoined Cobalt(iii)-Polypyridyl Complexes as Anti-Cancer Stem Cell Agents

A 1,10-phenanthroline-bearing complex 5 displayed selective potency towards hard-to-kill CSCs over bulk cancer and normal cells. This complex induced CSC apoptosis by DNA damage and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition. [Dalton Trans] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Matrix Stiffness Mediates Stemness Characteristics via Activating the Yes-Associated Protein in Colorectal Cancer Cells

The colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line HCT-116 was cultured in matrix with various stiffness. The expression level of stemness markers and lamin A/C increased as the matrix stiffness raised and was regulated by Yes-associated protein activation in CRC stem cells. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

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Stem Cell Fate in Cancer Growth, Progression and Therapy Resistance

Researchers examine emerging evidence that shows that the inherent heterogeneity within cancers are often controlled by the disruption of normal cell fate and aberrant adoption of stem cell signals. They also consider evidence showing that activation of stem cell programs in cancers can lead to progression, therapy resistance and metastatic growth and that targeting these attributes may enable better control over a difficult disease. [Nat Rev Cancer] Abstract

The Emerging Role of lncRNAs in the Regulation of Cancer Stem Cells

The authors overview current knowledge about the functional role and the mechanisms of action of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the initiation, maintenance and regulation of CSCs derived from different neoplasms. They illustrate how lncRNAs may regulate asymmetric CSC division and contribute to self-renewal, drug resistance and EMT, thus affecting the metastasis and recurrence of different cancers. [Cell Oncol (Dordr)] Abstract

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Propanc Biopharma Enters into Research Collaboration Agreement with the University of Jaén

Propanc Biopharma, Inc. announced the execution of a research collaboration agreement with the University of Jaén, Spain, for the provision of research services and scientific technical advice for the company’s POP1 drug discovery program. [Propanc Biopharma, Inc.] Press Release

London Biotherapeutics Powerhouse Launched by Cancer Research UK

The new Cancer Research UK City of London Centre brings together world-leading researchers from UCL, King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London and the Francis Crick Institute. It will become a global center of excellence for biotherapeutics, a pioneering field of cancer research. [Cancer Research UK] Press Release

Huge Peer-Review Study Reveals Lack of Women and Non-Westerners

The study looked at all submissions made to the open-access title eLife from its launch in 2012 to 2017 — nearly 24,000 in total. It found that women worldwide, and researchers outside North America and Europe, were less likely to be peer reviewers, editors and last authors. [Nature News] Editorial

African and Asian Researchers Are Hampered by Visa Problems

Going to a conference? Good luck getting a visa. Researchers from Africa and Asia still encounter much greater obstacles in getting visas to visit other countries for work than do those from Europe or North America. They are also less likely to visit another country for research, according to a global survey of academics’ movements. [Nature News] Editorial

Researcher Fazlul Sarkar Has 12 More Papers Retracted

Fazlul Sarkar, a former Wayne State University cancer researcher who once sued anonymous commenters on the discussion forum PubPeer for criticizing his work, continues to have his publication record whittled down. According to Retraction Watch, Cancer Research has retracted 12 of Sarkar’s papers and added an editor’s note to another. [The Scientist] Editorial

Denied ‘Life-Extending Opportunities’: Black Patients Are Being Left Out of Clinical Trials amid Wave of New Cancer Therapies

Reflecting the reluctance of the FDA to force drug makers to enroll more minority patients, and the failure of most manufacturers to do so voluntarily, stark underrepresentation of African-Americans is widespread in clinical trials for cancer drugs, even when the type of cancer disproportionately affects them. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW AACR: Targeting RAS-Driven Cancers
December 9-12, 2018
San Diego, California, United States

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

NEW 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)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cells in Murine Models of Kidney Cancer and Head and Neck Cancer (Weill Cornell Medicine)

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