Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells Co-Expressing SOX2, OCT4, and TERT^high Represent an Aggressive Subpopulation.

ABSTRACT: The aggressiveness of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has been linked to cancer stem cells (CSCs) and telomerase activity; however, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. In this study, we engineered dual transcriptional reporters (SORE6-GFP and TERT-BFP) to isolate SOX2⁺OCT4⁺TERT^high subpopulations from AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cells. We combined Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting with functional assays, RNA-seq, and network analysis. Clinically, tumors co-expressing high SOX2/OCT4/TERT levels were associated with reduced overall survival, whereas single-gene elevations were not prognostic. We identified a minority SOX2⁺OCT4⁺TERT^high fraction (~9%) enriched for pluripotency transcripts (SOX2, OC

SUBMITTER: Curiel-Gomez E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12839176 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature