scholarly journals Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition: A Hallmark in Metastasis Formation Linking Circulating Tumor Cells and Cancer Stem Cells

Pathobiology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Ksiazkiewicz ◽  
Aleksandra Markiewicz ◽  
Anna J. Zaczek
Tumor Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 101042831769591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheefa Mirza ◽  
Nayan Jain ◽  
Rakesh Rawal

Lung cancer stem cells are supposed to be the main drivers of tumor initiation, maintenance, drug resistance, and relapse of the disease. Hence, identification of the cellular and molecular aspects of these cells is a prerequisite for targeted therapy of lung cancer. Currently, analysis of circulating tumor cells has the potential to become the main diagnostic technique to monitor disease progression or therapeutic response as it is non-invasive. However, accurate detection of circulating tumor cells has remained a challenge, as epithelial cell markers used so far are not always trustworthy for detecting circulating tumor cells, especially during epithelial–mesenchymal transition. As cancer stem cells are the only culprit to initiate metastatic tumors, our aim was to isolate and characterize circulating tumor stem cells rather than circulating tumor cells from the peripheral blood of NSCLC adenocarcinoma as limited data are available addressing the gene expression profiling of lung cancer stem cells. Here, we reveal that CD44(+)/CD24(−) population in circulation not only exhibit stem cell–related genes but also possess epithelial–mesenchymal transition characteristics. In conclusion, the use of one or more cancer stem cell markers along with epithelial, mesenchymal and epithelial mesenchymal transition markers will prospectively provide the most precise assessment of the threat for recurrence and metastatic disease and has a great potential for forthcoming applications in harvesting circulating tumor stem cells and their downstream applications. Our results will aid in developing diagnostic and prognostic modalities and personalized treatment regimens like dendritic cell–based immunotherapy that can be utilized for targeting and eliminating circulating tumor stem cells, to significantly reduce the possibility of relapse and improve clinical outcomes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1763-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. PIROZZI ◽  
V. TIRINO ◽  
R. CAMERLINGO ◽  
A. LA ROCCA ◽  
N. MARTUCCI ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 450-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. V. Kaigorodova

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) constitute a heterogeneous population. Some tumor cells are cancer stem cells (CSCs), while others are in the process of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); however, most CTCs are neither stem cells nor participants in the EMT. There is increasing interest in the study of the molecular biological characteristics of CTCs. Many researchers consider circulating tumor cells (CTC) as one of the variants of «liquid biopsy in real time». In this review, we discuss the clinical significance of CTCs in breast cancer and in particular the prognostic and predictive significance both in early stage and metastatic breast cancer, as well as the pathogenetic role of CTCs in venous thromboembolism. Evaluation of various characteristics of CTCs is promising for the study of new biomarkers and targets for targeted therapies. The clinical importance involves the determination of the heterogeneity of the CТC and in particular of the stem subpopulation of these cells, cells with signs of EMТ, with no evidence of stem cells, and with a combination of these features.


Author(s):  
T. A. Pozniak ◽  
A. Y. Hancharou ◽  
V. M. Abashkin ◽  
A. I. Stanovaya ◽  
A. V. Prokhorov ◽  
...  

This review describes the circulating cancer stem cells (CCSCs) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). CCSCs are one of the main initiators of recurrent cancer and thus make them an important target for the development of new treatment methods. CTCs are relatively new biomarkers for the early diagnosis of metastasis. CTCs provide doctors with valuable information about each stages of cancer treatments: diagnostic of early-stage disease, early detection of recurrent cancer, the efficiency of chemotherapy, and makes it possible to select an individual sensitive drug.The most informative and frequently used markers for the detection of CSCs and CSCs were described. The mechanism of two models of tumor formation is considered: clonal and hierarchical. The known mechanisms of epithelial-mesenchymal transition of tumor cells are described. The most widely used specific cell surface markers for the detection and isolation of CTCs and CCSCs are described. The efficiency of a sensitive high-precision method of multicolor flow cytometry using specific fluorescent dye-labeled monoclonal antibodies for the detection of CCSCs and CTCs in the blood of cancer patients is analyzed. Detection of CTCs and CCSCs provides important information for the early diagnosis of metastasis and open a possibility to personalized treatment, and to monitoring of all stages cancers.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1833
Author(s):  
Tsai-Tsen Liao ◽  
Wei-Chung Cheng ◽  
Chih-Yung Yang ◽  
Yin-Quan Chen ◽  
Shu-Han Su ◽  
...  

Cell migration is critical for regional dissemination and distal metastasis of cancer cells, which remain the major causes of poor prognosis and death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although cytoskeletal dynamics and cellular deformability contribute to the migration of cancer cells and metastasis, the mechanisms governing the migratory ability of cancer stem cells (CSCs), a nongenetic source of tumor heterogeneity, are unclear. Here, we expanded colorectal CSCs (CRCSCs) as colonospheres and showed that CRCSCs exhibited higher cell motility in transwell migration assays and 3D invasion assays and greater deformability in particle tracking microrheology than did their parental CRC cells. Mechanistically, in CRCSCs, microRNA-210-3p (miR-210) targeted stathmin1 (STMN1), which is known for inducing microtubule destabilization, to decrease cell elasticity in order to facilitate cell motility without affecting the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) status. Clinically, the miR-210-STMN1 axis was activated in CRC patients with liver metastasis and correlated with a worse clinical outcome. This study elucidates a miRNA-oriented mechanism regulating the deformability of CRCSCs beyond the EMT process.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document