Single-cell analysis reveals a stem-cell program in human metastatic breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Despite major advances in understanding the molecular and genetic basis of cancer, metastasis remains the cause of >90% of cancer-related mortality. Understanding metastasis initiation and progression is critical to developing new therapeutic strategies to treat and prevent metastatic disease. Prevailing theories hypothesize that metastases are seeded by rare tumour cells with unique properties, which may function like stem cells in their ability to initiate and propagate metastatic tumours. However, the identity of metastasis-initiating cells in human breast cancer remains elusive, and whether metastases are hierarchically organized is unknown. Here we show at the single-cell level that early stage metastatic cells possess a distinct stem-like gene expression signature. To identify and is

SUBMITTER: Lawson DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4648562 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature