Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Tumor Engraftment in a Xenograft Mouse Model of Human Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Published on: March 30, 2018
Stem-like tumor cells confer drug resistant properties to mantle cell lymphoma
Hyun Joo Jung1, Zheng Chen, Nami McCarty
1Center for Stem Cell Research, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), University of Texas-Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Abstract:
We recently identified clonogenic malignant stem cell populations in human mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a particularly deadly subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We discovered that CD45+CD19- MCL cells, which we termed MCL-initiating cells (MCL-ICs), are highly tumorigenic and display self-renewal capacity in vivo; in contrast, CD45+CD19+ MCL cells, which constitute the vast majority of cells within the tumors, show no self-renewal capacity and greatly reduced tumorigenicity. Given the newly appreciated role of cancer-initiating cells in the drug resistance of cancers, it is critical to investigate whether CD45+CD19- MCL-ICs play a role in the drug resistance of human MCL. We discovered that MCL-ICs were more resistant to clinically relevant chemotherapeutic agents, in combination or in a single regimen, compared to CD45+CD19+ cells, and that this drug resistance was largely due to quiescent properties with enriched ABC transporters. In conclusion, designing novel therapies to kill CD45+CD19- MCL-ICs may prevent relapse and increase patient survival.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Abnormal Proliferation
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...

