AI Article Synopsis
- Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) contribute significantly to cancer growth and the likelihood of cancer returning after treatment, but how external factors influence their behavior remains unclear.
- WNT3a promotes the self-renewal and symmetric division of hTERT prostate cancer cells, reducing their asymmetric division and activating the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway.
- The study reveals that the CSC characteristics of hTERT prostate cancer cells rely, in part, on β-catenin, highlighting the impact of the tumor environment on CSC behavior.
Article Abstract
Cancer stem-like cells (CSC) drive cancer progression and recurrence. Self-renewal expansion of CSC is achieved through symmetric cell division, yet how external stimuli affect intracellular regulatory programs of CSC division modes and stemness remains obscure. Here, we report that the hTERT prostate cancer cells exhibit CSC properties, including a stem cell-associated gene expression signature, long-term tumor-propagating capacity and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. In promoting the self-renewal symmetric division of hTERT prostate cancer cells, WNT3a dramatically decreased the ratio of hTERT prostate cancer cells undergoing asymmetric division. Increased WNT/β-catenin signal activation was also detected in hTERT prostate cancer cells. hTERT-mediated CSC properties were at least partially dependent on β-catenin. These findings provide novel cellular and molecular mechanisms for the self-renewal of CSC orchestrated by tumor microenvironmental stimuli and intracellular signals. .
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-1887 | DOI Listing |
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