Analysis of an alternative human CD133 promoter reveals the implication of Ras/ERK pathway in tumor stem-like hallmarks.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An increasing number of studies support the presence of stem-like cells in human malignancies. These cells are primarily responsible for tumor initiation and thus considered as a potential target to eradicate tumors. CD133 has been identified as an important cell surface marker to enrich the stem-like population in various human tumors. To reveal the molecular machinery underlying the stem-like features in tumor cells, we analyzed a promoter of CD133 gene using human colon carcinoma Caco-2 and synovial sarcoma Fuji cells, which endogenously express CD133 gene.

Results

A reporter analysis revealed that P5 promoter, located far upstream in a human CD133 gene locus, exhibits the highest activity among the five putative promoters (P1 to P5). Deletion and mutation anal

SUBMITTER: Tabu K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2836276 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature