Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026

In vitro Enrichment of Ovarian Cancer Tumor-initiating Cells
Published on: February 18, 2015
Regulation of NANOG in cancer cells
Shuai Gong1,2, Qiuhui Li1, Collene R Jeter1
1Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center, city, Smithville, Texas.
Abstract:
As one of the key pluripotency transcription factors, NANOG plays a critical role in maintaining the self-renewal and pluripotency in normal embryonic stem cells. Recent data indicate that NANOG is expressed in a variety of cancers and its expression correlates with poor survival in cancer patients. Of interest, many studies suggest that NANOG enhances the defined characteristics of cancer stem cells and may thus function as an oncogene to promote carcinogenesis. Therefore, NANOG expression determines the cell fate not only in pluripotent cells but also in cancer cells. Although the regulation of NANOG in normal embryonic stem cells is reasonably well understood, the regulation of NANOG in cancer cells has only emerged recently. The current review provides a most updated summary on how NANOG expression is regulated during tumor development and progression.
Related Concept Videos
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
Negative Regulator Molecules
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...

