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Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) drive tumor initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance due to their self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. Despite encouraging progress in cancer treatment, conventional approaches often fail to eliminate CSCs, necessitating the development of precise targeted strategies. Recent advances in materials science and nanotechnology have enabled promising CSC-targeted approaches, harnessing the power of tailoring nanomaterials in diverse therapeutic applications. This review provides an update on the current landscape of nanobased precision targeting approaches against CSCs. We elucidate the nuanced application of organic, inorganic, and bioinspired nanomaterials across a spectrum of therapeutic paradigms, encompassing targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and multimodal synergistic therapies. By examining the accomplishments and challenges in this potential field, we aim to inform future efforts to advance nanomaterial-based therapies toward more effective "sniping" of CSCs and tumor clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Da Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Yan-Yu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Zhong-Lu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Guang-Liang Su
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
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Nakamura D. The evaluation of tumorigenicity and characterization of colonies in a soft agar colony formation assay using polymerase chain reaction. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5405. [PMID: 37012331 PMCID: PMC10070612 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32442-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In regenerative medicine, the tumorigenic potency of cells in cellular therapy products (CTPs) is a major concern for their application to patients. This study presents a method-the soft agar colony formation assay using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-to evaluate tumorigenicity. MRC-5 cells, contaminated with HeLa cells, were cultured for up to 4 weeks in soft agar medium. Cell-proliferation-related mRNAs, Ki-67 and cyclin B, could be detected in 0.01% of HeLa cells after 5 days of culture, whereas cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) could be detected after 2 weeks. On the other hand, CDK2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and minichromosome maintenance protein 7 (MCM7) were not useful to detect HeLa cells even after 4 weeks of culture. The cancer stem cell (CSC) markers, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) and CD133 in 0.01% of HeLa cells, could be detected 2 and 4 weeks after culture, respectively. However, another CSC marker CD44 was not useful because its expression was also detected in MRC-5 cells alone. This study suggests that the application of the PCR method to the soft agar colony formation assay could evaluate not only the tumorigenic potency in the short-term but also characterize the colonies, eventually improving the safety of CTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Nakamura
- BoZo Research Center Inc., Tsukuba Research Institute, 8 Okubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 300-2611, Japan.
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
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Karami Fath M, Garousi S, Mottahedi M, Ghasemzadeh N, Salmani K, Olfati F, Beit Saeed M, Sotoudeh S, Barati G. The role of hypoxia-inducible factors in breast cancer stem cell specification. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 243:154349. [PMID: 36791562 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Breast tumor is heterogeneous cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in developing countries. Despite new efforts to reduce the breast cancer implications, the number of newly diagnosed cases is increasing worldwide. It is believed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for the implication of cancers including breast cancer. Although CSCs compose a small population in tumor bulks, they play a crucial role in tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and chemotherapeutic resistance. These events are mediated by the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway which regulates the transcription of genes involved in CSC maintenance and tumorigenesis. In this review, we discussed the mechanisms by which hypoxia- or chemotherapy-induced HIFs promote breast CSC specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Karami Fath
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Setareh Garousi
- Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mehran Mottahedi
- Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Kiana Salmani
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Olfati
- Department of Reproductive Health, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Miad Beit Saeed
- Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Abadan Islamic Azad University, Abadan, Iran
| | - Sina Sotoudeh
- Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan, Iran
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The unique properties of cancer stem cells (CSCs) make lung cancer untargetable for quite an extended period. The functional mechanism of this cell type has been illustrated step by step. However, the outcomes of lung cancer patients are still lower than expected clinically. The attempts made by scientists to make challenge history against stemness maintenance of lung cancer cells and their druggable targets are worth elucidating. RECENT FINDINGS Many agents, including the Bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) and AMG 119 targeting DLL3-positive cells, are a tremendous breakthrough in the preclinical and clinical treatment of SCLC. More studies focus on targeting CSCs to overcome TKI resistance in NSCLC. The combo targeting of CSC and the immune microenvironment can favor the treatment of lung cancer patients. SUMMARY The current review elucidates the characteristics and related regulating pathways of lung CSCs from essential to preclinical research. We retrospectively introduce an update on the clinical development of therapeutics targeting CSC-associated developmental signaling pathways and discuss the opportunities to target CSC-immune interactions in lung cancer.
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Guo W, Qiao T, Li T. The role of stem cells in small-cell lung cancer: evidence from chemoresistance to immunotherapy. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 87:160-169. [PMID: 36371027 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive subtype of lung cancer, accounting for approximately 15% among all lung cancers. Despite the ability of chemotherapy, the first-line treatment for SCLC, to rapidly shrink tumors, nearly all patients experience recurrence and metastasis within a few months. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of tumor cells responsible for tumorigenesis, metastasis, and recurrence after treatment, which play a crucial role in chemoresistance by promoting DNA repair and expression of drug resistance-associated proteins. Thus, targeting CSCs has been successful in certain malignancies. Tumor therapy has entered the era of immunotherapy and numerous preclinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of immunotherapeutic approaches targeting CSCs, such as tumor vaccines and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell, and the feasibility of combining them with chemotherapy. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the interaction between CSCs and immune system is essential to facilitate the advances of new immunotherapies approaches targeting CSCs as well as combination with standard drugs such as chemotherapy. This narrative review summarizes the mechanisms of chemoresistance of CSCs in SCLC and the latest advances in targeted therapies. Thereafter, we discuss the effects of CSCs on tumor immune microenvironment in SCLC and corresponding immunotherapeutic approaches. Eventually, we propose that the combination of immunotherapy targeting CSCs with standard drugs is a promising direction for SCLC therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Guo
- Department of Pathology, Xianyang Central Hospital, Xianyang 712000, China
| | - Tianyun Qiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Tian Li
- School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
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Fath MK, Ebrahimi M, Nourbakhsh E, Hazara AZ, Mirzaei A, Shafieyari S, Salehi A, Hoseinzadeh M, Payandeh Z, Barati G. PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Cancer Stem Cells. Pathol Res Pract 2022; 237:154010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2022.154010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Kursunel MA, Taskiran EZ, Tavukcuoglu E, Yanik H, Demirag F, Karaosmanoglu B, Ozbay FG, Uner A, Esendagli D, Kizilgoz D, Yilmaz U, Esendagli G. Small cell lung cancer stem cells display mesenchymal properties and exploit immune checkpoint pathways in activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 71:445-459. [PMID: 34228218 PMCID: PMC8783896 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-02998-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive tumor type with early dissemination and distant metastasis capacity. Even though optimal chemotherapy responses are observed initially in many patients, therapy resistance is almost inevitable. Accordingly, SCLC has been regarded as an archetype for cancer stem cell (CSC) dynamics. To determine the immune-modulatory influence of CSC in SCLC, this study focused on the characterization of CD44+CD90+ CSC-like subpopulations in SCLC. These cells displayed mesenchymal properties, differentiated into different lineages and further contributed to CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) responses. The interaction between CD44+CD90+ CSC-like cells and T cells led to the upregulation of checkpoint molecules PD-1, CTLA-4, TIM-3, and LAG3. In the patient-derived lymph nodes, CD44+ SCLC metastases were also observed with T cells expressing PD-1, TIM-3, or LAG3. Proliferation and IFN-γ expression capacity of TIM-3 and LAG3 co-expressing CTLs are adversely affected over long-time co-culture with CD44+CD90+ CSC-like cells. Moreover, especially through IFN-γ secreted by the T cells, the CSC-like SCLC cells highly expressed PD-L1 and PD-L2. Upon a second encounter with immune-experienced, IFN-γ-stimulated CSC-like SCLC cells, both cytotoxic and proliferation capacities of T cells were hampered. In conclusion, our data provide evidence for the superior potential of the SCLC cells with stem-like and mesenchymal properties to gain immune regulatory capacities and cope with cytotoxic T cell responses. With their high metastatic and immune-modulatory assets, the CSC subpopulation in SCLC may serve as a preferential target for checkpoint blockade immunotherapy
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alper Kursunel
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey.
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rossle Str. 10, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ekim Z Taskiran
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ece Tavukcuoglu
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hamdullah Yanik
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Funda Demirag
- Department of Pathology, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Beren Karaosmanoglu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Feyza Gul Ozbay
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aysegul Uner
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Dorina Esendagli
- Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Derya Kizilgoz
- Department of Chest Diseases, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ulku Yilmaz
- Department of Chest Diseases, Atatürk Chest Diseases and Thoracic Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gunes Esendagli
- Department of Basic Oncology, Hacettepe University Cancer Institute, 06100, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey.
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