Biology Faculty Articles

Title

Primary cultures of human colon cancer as a model to study cancer stem cells

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2016

Publication Title

Tumor Biology

Keywords

5-Fu, Cancer stem cells, CD133, Colon cancer, Drug resistance, Oct4

ISSN

14230380

Volume

37

Issue/No.

9

First Page

12833

Last Page

12842

Abstract

The principal cause of death in cancer involves tumor progression and metastasis. Since only a small proportion of the primary tumor cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are the most aggressive, have the capacity to metastasize and display properties of stem cells, it is imperative to characterize the gene expression of diagnostic markers and to evaluate the drug sensitivity in the CSCs themselves. Here, we have examined the key genes that are involved in the progression of colorectal cancer and are expressed in cancer stem cells. Primary cultures of colorectal cancer cells from a patient’s tumors were studied using the flow cytometry and cytological methods. We have evaluated the clinical and stem cell marker expression in these cells, their resistance to 5-fluorouracil and irinotecan, and the ability of cells to form tumors in mice. The data shows the role of stem cell marker Oct4 in the resistance of primary colorectal cancer tumor cells to 5-fluorouracil.

DOI

10.1007/s13277-016-5214-8

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