Dynamics between cancer cell subpopulations reveals a model coordinating with both hierarchical and stochastic concepts.

ABSTRACT: Tumors are often heterogeneous in which tumor cells of different phenotypes have distinct properties. For scientific and clinical interests, it is of fundamental importance to understand their properties and the dynamic variations among different phenotypes, specifically under radio- and/or chemo-therapy. Currently there are two controversial models describing tumor heterogeneity, the cancer stem cell (CSC) model and the stochastic model. To clarify the controversy, we measured probabilities of different division types and transitions of cells via in situ immunofluorescence. Based on the experiment data, we constructed a model that combines the CSC with the stochastic concepts, showing the existence of both distinctive CSC subpopulations and the stochastic transitions from NSCCs to CSCs. T

SUBMITTER: Wang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3886990 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature