Open AccessHuman colorectal CD24+ cancer stem cells are susceptible to epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Author(s) -
Miho Okano,
Masamitsu Konno,
Yoshihiro Kano,
Hirotoshi Kim,
Kôichi Kikuchi,
Masahisa Ohkuma,
Naotsugu Haraguchi,
Takehiko Yokobori,
Koshi Mimori,
Hirofumi Yamamoto,
Mitsugu Sekimoto,
Yuichiro Doki,
Masaki Mori,
Hideshi Ishii
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.405
H-Index - 122
ISSN - 1019-6439
DOI - 10.3892/ijo.2014.2462
Subject(s) - cd24 , cancer stem cell , epithelial–mesenchymal transition , cancer research , metastasis , biology , cancer , colorectal cancer , cancer cell , oncogene , stem cell , immunology , cell cycle , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
Conventional cancer chemotherapy preferentially destroys non-stem cancer cells within a tumor, and a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is more resistant and survives, leading to relapses and metastasis. Howeve, recent studies suggest that CD24 and susceptibility to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can serve as markers of CSCs. We report that CD24(+) cells are susceptible to induction of EMT, a phenotype important for cancer metastasis. We studied the responsiveness of CSC markers to TGF-β , an effective EMT inducer. The data on CD24 demonstrated that CD24(+) cells are susceptible to EMT, a phenotype important for cancer metastasis in two colorectal cancer cell lines, the CaR-1 and CCK81. CD24(+) cells expressed Notch 1 in response to exposure to TGF-β in culture and showed higher tumorigenic activity compared to controls. This evidence shows that CD24(+) cells are susceptible to EMT induction and to cancer progression and is indicative of the candidacy of CD24 as a therapeutic target in CSC.