Stem Cells and Prostate Cancer

AbstractExperimental and clinical studies over the past two decades have provided overwhelming evidence that human cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa), harbor cancer stem cells (CSCs) that sustain tumor growth, drive tumor progression and mediate therapy resistance and tumor relapse. Recent studies have also implicated NUMB as a PCa suppressor and an inhibitor of PCa stem cells (PCSCs); however, exactly how NUMB functions in these contexts remains unclear. Here, by employing bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assays and by conducting rescue experiments, we first show that NUMB is directly targeted by microRNA-9-5p (miR-9-5p), an oncogenic miR associated with poor prognosis in many malignancies. We further show that miR-9-5p levels are inversely correlated with NUMB expression in CD44+ PCSCs. miR-9-5p reduced NUMB expression and inhibited numerous PCSC properties including proliferation, migration, invasion as well as self-renewal. Strikingly, overexpression of NUMB in CD44+ PCSCs overcame all of the above PCSC properties enforced by miR-9-5p. Taken together, our results suggest that inhibiting the expression of the oncomiR miR-9-5p and overexpressing NUMB may represent novel therapeutic strategies to target PCSCs and PCa metastasis.

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Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells promote prostate cancer cell stemness via cell–cell contact to activate the Jagged1/Notch1 pathway

Cell & Bioscience ◽

10.1186/s13578-021-00599-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ji-wen Cheng ◽

Li-xia Duan ◽

Yang Yu ◽

Pu Wang ◽

Jia-le Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Western Blot ◽

Cell Contact ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Tumor Resistance ◽

Cell Cell

Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in cancer development and tumor resistance to therapy in prostate cancer, but the influence of MSCs on the stemness potential of PCa cells by cell–cell contact remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of direct contact of PCa cells with MSCs on the stemness of PCa and its mechanisms. Methods First, the flow cytometry, colony formation, and sphere formation were performed to determine the stemness of PCaMSCs, and the expression of stemness-related molecules (Sox2, Oct4, and Nanog) was investigated by western blot analysis. Then, we used western blot and qPCR to determine the activity levels of two candidate pathways and their downstream stemness-associated pathway. Finally, we verified the role of the significantly changed pathway by assessing the key factors in this pathway via in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results We established that MSCs promoted the stemness of PCa cells by cell–cell contact. We here established that the enhanced stemness of PCaMSCs was independent of the CCL5/CCR5 pathway. We also found that PCaMSCs up-regulated the expression of Notch signaling-related genes, and inhibition of Jagged1-Notch1 signaling in PCaMSCs cells significantly inhibited MSCs-induced stemness and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our results reveal a novel interaction between MSCs and PCa cells in promoting tumorigenesis through activation of the Jagged1/Notch1 pathway, providing a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PCa.

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Targeting Prostate Cancer Stem Cells with Alpha-Particle Therapy

Frontiers in Oncology ◽

10.3389/fonc.2016.00273 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jens Ceder ◽

Jörgen Elgqvist

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Alpha Particle ◽

Particle Therapy ◽

Prostate Cancer Stem Cells

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Prostate Stem Cells in the Development of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer: Emerging Role and Concepts

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2013/107954 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Akhilesh Prajapati ◽

Sharad Gupta ◽

Bhavesh Mistry ◽

Sarita Gupta

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia ◽

Normal Prostate ◽

Prostate Hyperplasia ◽

Regulatory Factors ◽

Prostate Cells ◽

Hormonal Imbalance ◽

Benign Prostate ◽

Insight Into

Benign Prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are the most common prostatic disorders affecting elderly men. Multiple factors including hormonal imbalance, disruption of cell proliferation, apoptosis, chronic inflammation, and aging are thought to be responsible for the pathophysiology of these diseases. Both BPH and PCa are considered to be arisen from aberrant proliferation of prostate stem cells. Recent studies on BPH and PCa have provided significant evidence for the origin of these diseases from stem cells that share characteristics with normal prostate stem cells. Aberrant changes in prostate stem cell regulatory factors may contribute to the development of BPH or PCa. Understanding these regulatory factors may provide insight into the mechanisms that convert quiescent adult prostate cells into proliferating compartments and lead to BPH or carcinoma. Ultimately, the knowledge of the unique prostate stem or stem-like cells in the pathogenesis and development of hyperplasia will facilitate the development of new therapeutic targets for BPH and PCa. In this review, we address recent progress towards understanding the putative role and complexities of stem cells in the development of BPH and PCa.

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