Androgen/androgen receptor axis maintains and promotes cancer cell stemness through direct activation of Nanog transcription in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and malignant cancers. The HCC incidence gets a strong sexual dimorphism as men are the major sufferers in this disaster. Although several studies have uncovered the presentative correlation between the axis of androgen/androgen receptor (AR) and HCC incidence, the mechanism is still largely unknown. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subgroup of cancer cells contributing to multiple tumors malignant behaviors, which play an important role in oncogenesis of various cancers including HCC. However, whether androgen/AR axis involves in regulation of HCC cells stemness remains unclear. Our previous study had identified that the pluripotency factor Nanog is not only a stemness biomarker, but also a potent regulator of CSCs in HCC. In th

SUBMITTER: Jiang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5095041 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature