Ovarian cancer stem cell study puts targeted therapies within reach
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified a key
link between stem cell factors that fuel ovarian cancer's growth and patient
prognosis. The study, which paves the way for developing novel targeted ovarian
cancer therapies, is published online in the current issue of Cell Cycle. Lead author Yingqun Huang,
M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology &
Reproductive Sciences, and her colleagues have demonstrated a connection
between two concepts that are revolutionizing the way cancer is treated.
First,
the "cancer stem cell" idea suggests that at the heart of every tumor
there is a small subset of difficult-to-identify tumor cells that fuel the
growth of the bulk of the tumor. This concept predicts that ordinary therapies
typically kill the bulk of tumor cells while leaving a rich environment for
continued growth of the stem cell tumor population.
The
second concept, dubbed "seed and soil," defines a critical role for
the tumor cells' "microenvironment," which is the special environment
required for cancer cell growth and spread.
"Both
concepts have particular relevance for the treatment of adult solid tumors such
as ovarian cancer, which has been notoriously difficult to diagnose and
treat," said co-author Nita J. Maihle, M.D., professor in the Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and a member of Yale
Cancer Center. "Ovarian cancer patients are plagued by recurrences of
tumor cells that are resistant to chemotherapy, ultimately leading to
uncontrolled cancer growth and death."
In this
study, Huang and her colleagues were able to define a molecular basis for the
interplay between these two concepts in ovarian cancer. They did this by using
sophisticated gene sequencing methods to demonstrate a regulatory link between
the stem cell factor Lin28 and the signaling molecule bone morphogenic protein
4 (BMP4).
"These
results are supported by the latest molecular ovarian cancer prognosis data,
which also suggest an active role for the tumor microenvironment in ovarian
carcinogenesis," said Huang and Maihle. "Together these studies
reveal new targets for the development of cancer therapies."
Other
authors on the study include Wei Ma, Jing Ma, Jie Xu, Chong Qiao, Adam
Branscum, Andres Cardenas, Andre T. Baron, Peter Schwartz, and Nita J. Maihle.
The
study was funded by a 09SCAYALE14 Connecticut Stem Cell Grant and a 1063338
Albert McKern Scholar Award to Huang, and a Yale School of Medicine
"Senior Women in Medicine" Professorship to Nita J. Maihle.
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Posted by Unknown
on Friday, January 11, 2013.
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