Stem cells and carcinogenesis/metastasis

Japanese

Laboratories participate:

Division of Molecular carcinogenesis (Takehiko Kamijo et al.)

Laboratory of Anti-tumor Research (Toshinori Ozaki et al.)

Laboratory of Cancer Genomics (Miki Ohira et al.)

Laboratory of Innovative Cancer Therapeutics (Akira Nakagawara et al.)

Summary of project:

The last years of cancer research have established the concept of cancer stem cells (CSCs) as a subpopulation of cells within a tumor entirely responsible for tumorigenesis. This subpopulation of cells have been described in adult leukemia, breast cancer, pediatric brain tumors, melanoma, ependymomas, colon cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and hepatoma based on their abilities to self-renew, differentiate into the cellular lineages observed in the tumors, and serially propagate tumors in vivo.
In several tumors, CD133-expressing cells have a capacity for unlimited self-renewal, as well as the ability, in small numbers, to initiate tumor formation and progression in immuno-deficient mice, suggesting that CD133 Is a marker for CSCs. Now we are studying the functional role of CD133 in carcinogenesis In NB, colon cancers and lung cancers.

Keywords:

Cancer Stem Cells, Stem Cell Markers, CD133, Bmi1, ARF/p16, epigenetics

Recent main publications:

• Miki J et al. Genes To Cells. 2007;12:1371-82.
• Komatsu S et al. Oncogene,2009; 28:3631-41
• Ochiai H et al. Oncogene 2010; in press.
• Iwata S et al. Cancer Sci 2010; in press.