Abbott Daniel E, Postovit Lynne-Marie, Seftor Elisabeth A, Margaryan Naira V, Seftor Richard E B, Hendrix Mary J C
Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
Stem Cell Rev. 2007 Jan;3(1):68-78. doi: 10.1007/s12015-007-0010-x.
As our understanding of embryonic stem cell biology becomes more sophisticated, the similarities between multipotent cancer cells and these totipotent precursors are increasingly striking. Both multipotent cancer cells and embryonic stem cells possess the ability to self-renew, epigenetically alter their neighboring cellular architecture, and populate a tissue mass with a phenotypically heterogeneous composition of cells. While the molecular signature of these cell types continues to be elucidated, new insights are emerging related to the convergence of embryonic and tumorigenic signaling pathways. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of these two stem cell phenotypes may lead to new therapeutic targets for the elusive cancer cell. While still in its infancy, the potential of adapting embryonic stem cells, and more specifically the factors they produce, is enormous for clinical application. Here we outline evidence that demonstrates the inductive influence of embryonic stem cells and their microenvironment to reprogram cancer cells to exhibit a more benign phenotype, with profound implications for differentiation therapy.
随着我们对胚胎干细胞生物学的理解日益深入，多能癌细胞与这些全能前体细胞之间的相似性愈发显著。多能癌细胞和胚胎干细胞都具备自我更新的能力，能在表观遗传层面改变其邻近的细胞结构，并形成一个由表型各异的细胞组成的组织块。尽管这些细胞类型的分子特征仍在不断阐明之中，但有关胚胎信号通路与致瘤信号通路趋同的新见解正在不断涌现。了解这两种干细胞表型的分子基础可能会为难以捉摸的癌细胞带来新的治疗靶点。虽然胚胎干细胞的应用尚处于起步阶段，但利用胚胎干细胞，尤其是它们所产生的因子用于临床的潜力巨大。在此，我们概述了相关证据，这些证据表明胚胎干细胞及其微环境对癌细胞具有诱导影响，能使其重编程以展现出更良性的表型，这对分化疗法具有深远意义。
