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Snail‐mediated cancer stem cell‐like phenotype in human CNE2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell
Author(s) -
Peng Shan,
Wu Cheng,
Sun Wei,
Liu Dongbo,
Luo Min,
Su Beibei,
Zhang Linli,
Mei Qi,
Hu Guoqing
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.24982
Subject(s) - nasopharyngeal carcinoma , snail , cancer stem cell , cancer research , biology , phenotype , cancer , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , metastasis , cell migration , stem cell , cancer cell , cell culture , cell , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , radiation therapy , gene , genetics , ecology
Abstract Background Cancer stem cell (CSC)‐like phenotype, which has been proven to play a critical role in invasion and metastasis of many kinds of cancers, has also been reported to be associated with epithelial‐mesenchymal transition. Snail, a potent repressor of E‐cadherin expression, was found to have a function to regulate the aforementioned processes. Methods In the current study, expression of putative CSCs biomarkers and the ratio of CSC‐like CNE2 (cancer cell line) in total CNE2 were measured, and CSC‐like characteristics were analyzed with tumor‐sphere self‐renewal and colony‐forming assays. Migration and invasion properties were determined by using transwell and wound healing assays. Xenograft tumor assays in vivo were done to evaluate the function of Snail and radiation in the tumor forming ability. Results In human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, overexpression of Snail mediates a CSC‐like phenotype, which enhances the initiation, invasion, and migration ability of cancer cells. Conclusion Thus, Snail is a potential therapeutic target in NPC.