Human hepatic cancer stem cells are characterized by common stemness traits and diverse oncogenic pathways.

ABSTRACT:

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Epigenetic mechanisms play critical roles in stem cell biology by maintaining pluripotency of stem cells and promoting differentiation of more mature derivatives. If similar mechanisms are relevant for the cancer stem cell (CSC) model, then epigenetic modulation might enrich the CSC population, thereby facilitating CSC isolation and rigorous evaluation. To test this hypothesis, primary human cancer cells and liver cancer cell lines were treated with zebularine (ZEB), a potent DNA methyltransferase-1 inhibitor, and putative CSCs were isolated using the side population (SP) approach. The CSC properties of ZEB-treated and untreated subpopulations were tested using standard in vitro and in vivo assays. Whole transcriptome profiling of isolated CSCs was performed to generate

SUBMITTER: Marquardt JU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3179780 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature