Identification of Cd133+/Nestin+ Putative Cancer Stem Cells in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Key words: CD133/Nestin/Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)/Cancer stem cell (CSC)/ImmunofluorescenceAims. No effective treatment for lung cancer exists currently. One reason for this, is the development of drug resistance, assumed to be associated with cancer stem cell (CSCs) emergence within the tumour. This pilot study aimed to identify CSCs in 121 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient samples via detection of the expression of stem cell markers -CD133 and nestin.Material and methods. Archived paraffin blocks of 121 patient samples were prepared as Tissue Microarrays (TMA). Indirect immunohistochemical staining was used to determine the level of expression of CD133 and nestin. Double immunofluorescence staining was used to investigate the co-expression of these two markers. To determine the correlation between expression of nestin and CD133 with the length of asymptomatic period and overall patient survival we used the Kaplan-Meyer analysis.Results. CD133 expression was detected in 22 (19%), nestin in the epithelium in 74 (66%) and vasculature in 78 (70%) of patients. Co-expression of these two markers was found in 21 (17%) patients in less than 1% of positive cells without impact on disease free or overall survival.Conclusions. We identified CD133 + /nestin + cells as novel potential markers of lung cancer CSCs.

Downregulation of Msi1 suppresses the growth of human colon cancer by targeting p21cip1

“…Several studies have recently indicated the existence of CSCs (cancer stem cells) in various cancer types (23)(24)(25), and CSCs are critical for the maintenance of tumor growth, progression and resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as well as recurrence and metastasis (26). It has been demonstrated that Msi1 regulates the proliferation and differentiation of CSCs.…”

Clinical significance of nestin and its association with survival in neuroendocrine lung tumours

“…Additionally, when nestin was down-regulated, the cells exhibited lower proliferation and invasive potential [23]. When it comes to nestin and other lung malignancies, it was identified as CSC marker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) [24]. Narita et al found nestin on immunohistochemical analysis performed on surgical specimens of NSCLC [25].…”

CD133 and CD24 expression in renal tissue of patients affected by autosomal dominant polcystic kidney disease

“…CD133 is a pentaspan transmembrane glycoprotein suspected to have a role in maintaining stem cell properties by suppressing differentiation and promoting proliferation. CD133 expression is also associated to several types of cancer [8][9][10]. CD133 function is not clear but its presence on early and undifferentiated cells is suggestive of a growth factor receptor, and the presence of five tyrosine residues on the 50-aa cytoplasmic tail may indicate that the protein is phosphorylated in response to ligand binding and triggers a signal transduction [11].…”