ALDH1 might influence the metastatic capability of HeLa cells

Recent data suggest that tumor persistence and recurrence could be caused by the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been implicated in cancer pathogenesis and used as a CSC marker. We previously reported that cervical carcinoma contains a small subpopulation of cells expressing ALDH1 [1]. In this study, we used small interfering RNA to suppress ALDH1 expression and introduced an ALDH1 reporting vector into HeLa cells followed by various in vitro assays. We showed that knockdown of ALDH1 expression reduced the cell migration ability of HeLa cells, whereas augmented expression of ALDH1 increased cell migration. However, there was no difference in the cellular proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and invasion. These results indicate that ALDH1 is directly involved in HeLa migration.