Inhibiting the SUMO Pathway Represses the Cancer Stem Cell Population in Breast and Colorectal Carcinomas
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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Isolation and Functional Assessment of Human Breast Cancer Stem Cells from Cell and Tissue Samples
Published on: October 2, 2020
Maria V Bogachek1, Jung M Park1, James P De Andrade1
1Department of Surgery, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, 1516 JCP, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Abstract:
Many solid cancers have an expanded CD44+/hi/CD24-/low cancer stem cell (CSC) population, which are relatively chemoresistant and drive recurrence and metastasis. Achieving a more durable response requires the development of therapies that specifically target CSCs. Recent evidence indicated that inhibiting the SUMO pathway repressed tumor growth and invasiveness, although the mechanism has yet to be clarified. Here, we demonstrate that inhibition of the SUMO pathway repressed MMP14 and CD44 with a concomitant reduction in cell invasiveness and functional loss of CSCs in basal breast cancer. Similar effects were demonstrated with a panel of E1 and E3 SUMO inhibitors. Identical results were obtained in a colorectal cancer cell line and primary colon cancer cells. In both breast and colon cancer, SUMO-unconjugated TFAP2A mediated the effects of SUMO inhibition. These data support the development of SUMO inhibitors as an approach to specifically target the CSC population in breast and colorectal cancer.
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