Cancer Stem Cells: Biological Functions and  Therapeutically Targeting

Ciurea, Marius Eugen; Georgescu, Ada Maria; Purcaru, Ștefana Oana; Artene, Ştefan-Alexandru; Emami, Ghazaleh Hooshyar; Boldeanu, Mihail Virgil; Tache, Daniela Elise; Dricu, Anica

doi:10.3390/ijms15058169

Cited by 63 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…Wnts, Wnt inhibitors and BMPs play similar roles in other tissues such as skin, breast (Clevers et al 2014) and the brain (Bayin et al 2014; Caja et al 2015), although other members of the TGFb superfamily, such as TFGb-1 and TGFb-2, may upregulate stem cell self-renewal and promote tumor invasiveness. Additionally, other signaling factors such as notch, fibroblast growth factors, sonic hedgehog and epidermal growth factors may also influence stem cell self-renewal (e.g., Ciurea et al 2014; Matchett and Lappin 2014; Mertins 2014). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feedback Regulation in a Cancer Stem Cell Model can Cause an Allee Effect

2016

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The exact mechanisms of spontaneous tumor remission or complete response to treatment are phenomena in oncology that are not completely understood. We use a concept from ecology, the Allee effect, to help explain tumor extinction in a model of tumor growth that incorporates feedback regulation of stem cell dynamics, which occurs in many tumor types where certain signaling molecules, such as Wnts, are upregulated. Due to feedback and the Allee effect, a tumor may become extinct spontaneously or after therapy even when the entire tumor has not been eradicated by the end of therapy. We quantify the Allee effect using an ‘Allee index’ that approximates the area of the basin of attraction for tumor extinction. We show that effectiveness of combination therapy in cancer treatment may occur due to the increased probability that the system will be in the Allee region after combination treatment versus monotherapy. We identify therapies that can attenuate stem cell self-renewal, alter the Allee region and increase its size. We also show that decreased response of tumor cells to growth inhibitors can reduce the size of the Allee region and increase stem cell densities, which may help to explain why this phenomenon is a hallmark of cancer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feedback Regulation in a Cancer Stem Cell Model can Cause an Allee Effect

2016

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“…Automated quantification of 3D cultures is required in order to achieve high throughput drug screening programs (87). In addition, CSCs are novel therapeutic targets (88), and 3D tumor cell culture ought to be a useful technique in this area due to its CSC-enriching function. Greater focus on exploring appropriate ECM components in a 3D model is also critically important for monitoring tumor cell responses to exogenous cues, including growth factor activation or chemotherapy (32,33).…”

Section: Future Trends and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three‑dimensional cell culture: A powerful tool in tumor research and drug discovery (Review)

Lv¹,

Hu²,

Lü³

et al. 2017

Oncol Lett

271

312

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Abstract. In previous years, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technology has become a focus of research in tumor cell biology, using a variety of methods and materials to mimic the in vivo microenvironment of cultured tumor cells ex vivo. These 3D tumor cells have demonstrated numerous different characteristics compared with traditional two-dimensional (2D) culture. 3D cell culture provides a useful platform for further identifying the biological characteristics of tumor cells, particularly in the drug sensitivity area of the key points of translational medicine. It promises to be a bridge between traditional 2D culture and animal experiments, and is of great importance for further research in the field of tumor biology. In the present review, previous 3D cell culture applications, focusing on anti-tumor drug susceptibility testing, are summarized.

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“…Hence, CSCs are considered to be the driving force in metastases, and are accountable for such tumor properties as proliferation, aggressiveness, and resistance to treatment [4]. In many studies, the relationship between cancer resistance to conventional treatment and CSCs' intrinsic mechanisms of resistance to conventional chemotherapeutics has been a significant and integral hypothesis in the quest for clinically relevant cancer therapy [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%