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Convergent mechanisms in pluripotent stem cells and cancer: Implications for stem cell engineering
Author(s) -
Mooney Bridget M.,
Raof Nurazhani Abdul,
Li Yan,
Xie Yubing
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.201200202
Subject(s) - induced pluripotent stem cell , cancer stem cell , stem cell , carcinogenesis , biology , cancer , cancer cell , cancer research , metastasis , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , microbiology and biotechnology , embryonic stem cell , genetics , gene
Stem cells and cancer cells share certain characteristics, including the capacity to self‐renew, differentiatie, and undergo epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). The mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis retain similarities with processes in normal stem cell development. Comprehensive analysis and comparison of cancer cell and stem cell development will advance the study of cancer progression, enabling development of effective strategies for cancer treatment. In this review article, we first examine the convergence of outcome, cellular communication, and signaling pathways active in pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells. Next, we detail how stem cell engineering is able to mimic in vivo microenvironments. These efforts can help better identify stem cell‐cancer cell interactions, elucidated dysregulated pluripotent signaling pathways occurring in cancer, revealed new factors that restrict tumorigenesis and metastasis potential, and reprogrammed cancer cells to a less aggressive phenotype. The potential of stem cell engineering to enhance cancer research is tremendous and may lead to alternative therapeutic options for aggressive cancers.