Myeloid-derived suppressor cells enhance stemness of cancer cells by inducing microRNA101 and suppressing the corepressor CtBP2.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are important cellular components in the cancer microenvironment and may affect cancer phenotype and patient outcome. The nature of MDSCs and their interaction with CSCs in ovarian carcinoma are unclear. We examined the interaction between MDSCs and CSCs in patients with ovarian carcinoma and showed that MDSCs inhibited T cell activation and enhanced CSC gene expression, sphere formation, and cancer metastasis.

Expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase and CD133 defines ovarian cancer stem cells.

Identification of cancer stem cells is crucial for advancing cancer biology and therapy. Several markers including CD24, CD44, CD117, CD133, the G subfamily of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCG), epithelial specific antigen (ESA) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) are used to identify and investigate human epithelial cancer stem cells in the literature. We have now systemically analyzed and compared the expression of these markers in fresh ovarian epithelial carcinomas.