Oncolytic reovirus effectively targets breast cancer stem cells

Recent evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in cancer, as these cells possess enhanced tumor-forming capabilities and are resistant to current anticancer therapies. Hence, novel cancer therapies will need to be tested for both tumor regression and CSC targeting. Herein we show that oncolytic reovirus that induces regression of human breast cancer primary tumor samples xenografted in immunocompromised mice also effectively targets and kills CSCs in these tumors. CSCs were identified based on CD24(-)CD44(+) cell surface expression and overexpression of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Upon reovirus treatment, the CSC population was reduced at the same rate as non-CSCs within the tumor. Immunofluorescence of breast tumor tissue samples from the reovirus- and mock-treated mice confirmed that both CSCs and non-CSCs were infectible by reovirus, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay showed that both populations died by apoptosis. Ras, which has been shown to mediate reovirus oncolysis, was found to be present at similar levels in all cell types, and this is consistent with their comparable sensitivity to reovirus. These experiments indicate that oncolytic reovirus has the potential to induce tumor regression in breast cancer patients. More important, the CSC population was equally reduced and was as susceptible to reovirus treatment as the non-CSC population.