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Cancer Stem Cell Initiation by Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles
Said M Afify1,2, Ghmkin Hassan1,3, Ting Yan4
1Laboratory of Nano-Biotechnology, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|March 23, 2021
Summary
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) can be initiated from normal stem cells using extracellular vesicles (EVs) from cancer cells. This process mimics the chronic inflammation seen in cancer, offering a new model for studying tumor development.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Stem Cell Research
Background:
- Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence.
- CSCs are thought to originate from normal stem cells influenced by inflammatory microenvironments.
- Chronic inflammation, rich in signaling molecules, may induce stem cells into a CSC state.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in initiating cancer stem cells (CSCs) from stem or progenitor cells.
- To establish a method for inducing CSCs using cancer cell-derived EVs.
- To explore the potential of EVs as inducers in a cancer-inducing niche.
Main Methods:
- Utilized extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from cancer cells.
- Treated normal stem cells with cancer cell-derived EVs.
- Assessed stemness markers, spheroid formation, and tumorigenicity in vivo.
Main Results:
- Stem cells treated with EVs acquired CSC characteristics.
- Induced cells formed spheroids expressing stemness markers in suspension culture.
- EV-treated cells exhibited high tumorigenicity in Balb/c nude mice.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can act as potent inducers for initiating cancer stem cells (CSCs) from stem or progenitor cells.
- This EV-mediated induction method provides a novel model for studying CSCs within the tumor microenvironment.
- Further research using this model can elucidate the precise effects of EVs in chronic inflammation and cancer development.
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