Stem cells as therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer continues to represent a significant burden on public health as the second highest cause of cancer mortality, when men and women are combined, in the US. About 50% of patients either present with late-stage metastatic disease, or develop metastatic recurrences, and ultimately die. In turn, this mortality largely reflects cancer stem cells, tumor-initiating cells that are responsible for cancer progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis. This review summarizes the unique properties of colorectal cancer stem cells, and the emerging strategies by which they can be selectively targeted as a therapeutic approach to eradicating this disease.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of The intestinal stem cell signature identifies colorectal cancer stem cells and predicts disease relapse.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.10883956.12086056 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Kim Jensen ◽

Robert Fordham

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Intestinal Stem Cell ◽

Disease Relapse ◽

Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

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The microRNA-210-Stathmin1 Axis Decreases Cell Stiffness to Facilitate the Invasiveness of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13081833 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1833

Author(s):

Tsai-Tsen Liao ◽

Wei-Chung Cheng ◽

Chih-Yung Yang ◽

Yin-Quan Chen ◽

Shu-Han Su ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cell Motility ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Cell Stiffness ◽

Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Cytoskeletal Dynamics ◽

Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

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.

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αSMA+ fibroblasts suppress Lgr5+ cancer stem cells and restrain colorectal cancer progression

Oncogene ◽

10.1038/s41388-021-01866-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kathleen M. McAndrews ◽

Karina Vázquez-Arreguín ◽

Changsoo Kwak ◽

Hikaru Sugimoto ◽

Xiaofeng Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Colorectal Cancer Progression

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PEG-poly(amino acid)s/EpCAM aptamer multifunctional nanoparticles arrest the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer

Biomaterials Science ◽

10.1039/d1bm00160d ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yingru Zhang ◽

Chunpu Li ◽

Ru Jia ◽

Ruixuan Gao ◽

Yiyang Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Drug Release ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Water Solubility ◽

Sustained Drug Release ◽

Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Micelle System

A new nano-micelle system with better water solubility and sustained drug release effect, targeting colorectal cancer stem cells, effectively inhibits the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

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