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Etiology and Pathogenesis
> Cancer
Stem Cells | Treatment
> Cancer
Stem Cells
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Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, August 2007, Vol. 7, No. 8, Pages
1129-1135, doi:10.1517/14712598.7.8.1129
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Abstract |
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Brain tumour stem cells: possibilities
of new therapeutic strategies
Sara GM
Piccirillo, Angelo L Vescovi PhD*
University of Milan, Department of
Biotechnology and Biosciences, Bicocca & Stemgen, SPA, Milan,
Italy +39 02 6448 3351; +39
02 7004 31033. *Author for correspondence vescovi@tin.it
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Cancers are composed of heterogeneous cell
populations, including highly proliferative immature precursors and
differentiated cells, which may belong to different lineages.
Recent advances in stem cell research have
demonstrated the existence of tumour-initiating, cancer stem cells (CSCs)
in non-solid and solid tumours.
These cells are defined as CSCs because
they show functional properties that resemble those of their normal
counterpart to a significant extent.
This concept applies to CSCs from brain
tumours and, particularly, to glioblastoma stem-like cells, which
self-renew under clonal conditions and differentiate into neuron- and
glia-like cells, and into aberrant cells, with mixed neuronal/astroglia
phenotypes.
Notably, across serial transplantation
into immunodeficient mice, glioblastoma stem-like cells are able to
form secondary tumours which are a phenocopy of the human
disease.
A significant effort is underway to
identify both CSC-specific markers and the molecular mechanism that
underpin the tumorigenic potential of these cells, for this will have
a critical impact on the understanding of the origin of malignant
brain tumour and the discovery of new and more specific therapeutic
approaches.
Lately, the authors have shown that some
of the bone morphogenetic proteins can reduce the tumorigenic ability
of CSCs in GBMs.
This suggests that mechanisms regulating
the physiology of normal brain stem cells may be still in place in
their cancerous siblings and that this may lead to the development of
cures that selectively target the population CSCs found in the
patients' tumour mass.
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© 2007 Informa Healthcare
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Abstract
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