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Updated: May 30, 2026
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Isolation of Stem-like Cells from 3-Dimensional Spheroid Cultures
Published on: December 13, 2019
A resource for discovering specific and universal biomarkers for distributed stem cells.
Minsoo Noh1, Janet L Smith, Yang Hoon Huh
1School of Pharmacy, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
Plos One
|August 6, 2011
Summary
Researchers identified novel biomarkers for distributed stem cells (DSCs) by analyzing genes associated with asymmetric self-renewal. This breakthrough offers potential for precise DSC identification and understanding their unique properties.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Genomics
- Biomarker discovery
Background:
- Specific and universal biomarkers for distributed stem cells (DSCs) remain elusive.
- Difficulty in obtaining sufficient quantities and purity of DSCs hinders biomarker discovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel biomarkers for DSCs.
- To characterize the self-renewal properties of DSCs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetically engineered cell lines exhibiting conditional asymmetric self-renewal.
- Performed gene microarray analyses to identify asymmetric self-renewal associated (ASRA) genes.
Main Results:
- Identified 85 ASRA genes, with a distinct signature for DSCs compared to other cell types.
- Two ASRA proteins (CXCR6, BTG2) and two related self-renewal pattern associated (SRPA) proteins (LGR5, H2A.Z) showed unique expression patterns.
- Provided evidence for in vivo asymmetric self-renewal of individual DSCs.
Conclusions:
- The identified ASRA gene signature differentiates DSCs based on their self-renewal mechanism.
- CXCR6, BTG2, LGR5, and H2A.Z show high potential as universal and specific biomarkers for DSC identification.
- This study explains previous challenges in defining common DSC gene expression signatures.
