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The changing faces of cancer cells

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 11, page 466 (2010)Cite this article

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The connection between EMT and stem cell-like properties ... has given us a new 'behind the scenes' look at how cancer cells perfect the art of face-changing

So, might transcription factors be used to convert differentiated cells into CSCs in the same way that they can be used to produce induced pluripotent stem cells? Mani et al. provided an affirmative answer to this question. Forcing the expression of the transcription factors Snail or Twist induced the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in immortalized mammary epithelial cells and, surprisingly, caused cells undergoing EMT to share many of the characteristics of undifferentiated stem cells isolated from either normal or cancer cell populations. This seminal finding established a direct link between EMT and stem cells. Furthermore, gene-profiling studies, carried out by Creighton et al., revealed that EMT markers are highly expressed in human mammary CSCs. This suggests that CSCs might arise from differentiated cells, which has important implications not only in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis during development but also for EMT in carcinomas.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Mani, S. A. et al. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition generates cells with properties of stem cells. Cell 133, 704–715 (2008)

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  2. Creighton, C. J. et al. Residual breast cancers after conventional therapy display mesenchymal as well as tumor-initiating features. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 13820–13825 (2009)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China

    Xin-Hua Feng

  2. Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Michael DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Xin-Hua Feng

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  1. Xin-Hua Feng
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Feng, XH. The changing faces of cancer cells. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 11, 466 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm2923

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