The isolation and characterization of renal cancer initiating cells from human Wilms' tumour xenografts unveils new therapeutic targets.

ABSTRACT: There are considerable differences in tumour biology between adult and paediatric cancers. The existence of cancer initiating cells/cancer stem cells (CIC/CSC) in paediatric solid tumours is currently unclear. Here, we show the successful propagation of primary human Wilms' tumour (WT), a common paediatric renal malignancy, in immunodeficient mice, demonstrating the presence of a population of highly proliferative CIC/CSCs capable of serial xenograft initiation. Cell sorting and limiting dilution transplantation analysis of xenograft cells identified WT CSCs that harbour a primitive undifferentiated-NCAM1 expressing-"blastema" phenotype, including a capacity to expand and differentiate into the mature renal-like cell types observed in the primary tumour. WT CSCs, which can be further enric

SUBMITTER: Pode-Shakked N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3569651 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature