Differential regulation of the sphere formation and maintenance of cancer-initiating cells of malignant mesothelioma via CD44 and ALK4 signaling pathways.

ABSTRACT: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) has a poor prognosis and is largely resistant to standard treatments, so it is important to seek novel therapeutic strategies for this disease. Cancer-initiating cells (CICs) were previously identified in MM using stem cell-associated markers in combination with spheroid cultures. However, the mechanisms underlying the induction and maintenance of CICs in MM remain to be fully explored. Here we showed that the CICs, which had high aldehyde dehydrogenase levels (ALDH^bright) and stem cell-associated genes, were expanded in MM cells cultured under sphere-forming conditions. The MM spheroids also initiated tumors in immunodeficient mice more efficiently than did conventional adherent MM cells. In the MM spheroids, the expression of hyaluronan (HA) synthas

SUBMITTER: Ohno Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6283855 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature