Open AccessPotential for therapeutic targeting of tumor stem cells
Author(s) -
Saini Vaibhav,
Shoemaker Robert H.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2009.01371.x
Subject(s) - stem cell , cancer research , cancer stem cell , biology , in vivo , dna repair , stem cell niche , computational biology , bioinformatics , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , progenitor cell
Recent developments in isolation and characterization of tumor stem cells (TSCs) have opened new possibilities for developing TSC‐targeted therapies. Extensive efforts have been made to ascertain markers of TSCs, including cell surface, enzymatic, gene expression profile, and functional markers. These markers and the technologies used to identify and isolate TSCs are discussed in this review. TSC characteristics, such as quiescence, multidrug resistance, enhanced DNA repair ability, and anti‐apoptotic mechanisms, and various features of the in vivo niche, which may make them resistant to conventional therapy, are also discussed here. The increasing understanding of aberrantly expressed molecules and signaling pathways in TSCs may provide the foundation for design of therapeutic strategies for TSC ablation. ( Cancer Sci 2009)