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Reflected stemness as a potential driver of the tumour microenvironment
Felipe S Rodrigues1, Francesca D Ciccarelli2, Ilaria Malanchi1
1Tumour-Host Interaction Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK.
Trends in Cell Biology
|May 19, 2022
Summary
Cancer cells hijack developmental programs, gaining stem cell-like traits for proliferation. This
Area of Science:
- Cancer Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Tumor Microenvironment Research
Background:
- Cancer initiation requires activation of developmental programs by mutant cells.
- Oncogenic signals promote an undifferentiated, stem cell-like phenotype, crucial for cancer cell proliferation.
- Tumorigenesis depends not only on genetic mutations but also on the cellular microenvironment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss how reprogrammed cancer cells trigger 'reflected stemness' in normal cells.
- To propose that this reciprocal interaction establishes the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Main Methods:
- This is an Opinion article, synthesizing existing knowledge.
- Discussion and conceptualization of cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment.
Main Results:
- Cancer cells' reprogrammed status is central to their tumorigenicity.
- Cancer cells induce 'reflected stemness' in adjacent normal cells.
- This bidirectional signaling establishes the tumor microenvironment.
Conclusions:
- The interplay between cancer cells and their microenvironment, characterized by reciprocal stemness, is fundamental to tumor formation.
- Understanding this interaction is key to targeting the tumor microenvironment.
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