Published 4 issues per year
ISSN Print: 2694-4642
ISSN Online: 2694-4650
Indexed in
Growth Factor Signaling Regulates Breast Cancer Stem Cells
ABSTRACT
Accumulating evidence suggests that cancer stem cells−which make up only a small proportion of heterogeneous tumor cells−possess a greater ability to maintain tumor formation than other tumor cell types. Although the concept of cancer stem cells greatly impacts cancer biology and evokes a reconsideration of cancer treatment, the molecular mechanisms involved in the contribution of cancer stem cells to tumorigenesis remain obscure. We found that heregulin (HRG), a ligand for HER3/ErbB3, induced tumor sphere formation of a breast cancer stem cell (BCSC)-enriched population as well as in breast cancer cell lines. HRG-induced tumor sphere formation was reduced by treatment with inhibitors for phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase). Furthermore, we found that the expression of IL8, a regulator of self-renewal in BCSC-enriched populations, was induced by HRG through the activation of the PI3K/NF-κB pathway. These findings illustrate that HRG/ErbB3 signaling appears to maintain tumor sphere formation through a PI3K/NF-κB pathway in human breast cancer.
-
Zhang Hong-ji, Wang Zhan-xiang, Yin-yang and Zheng: Exported from Chinese medicine, Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 20, 4, 2014. Crossref