Department of Urology, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Jena University Hospital, 00740 Jena, Germany.
Neoplasma. 2012;59(6):719-27. doi: 10.4149/neo_2012_091.
There is emerging evidence that cancer stem cells (CSCs), like normal tissue stem cells, are regulated by a niche formed of mesenchymal cells. In this review we summarize the current knowledge of the role of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in a tentative CSC niche. We also discuss findings from our own studies showing that CAF derived factors have a strong stimulatory effect on the stem cell properties of breast cancer cells. Based on recent literature we conclude that CAFs are strong modulators of the stem cell properties of cancer cells. This effect is likely to be particularly relevant under circumstances of early stages of tumor cell dissemination and metastasis.
越来越多的证据表明，癌症干细胞（CSCs）与正常组织干细胞一样，受到由间质细胞形成的龛的调节。在这篇综述中，我们总结了目前关于癌相关成纤维细胞（CAF）在暂定的CSC 龛位中作用的知识。我们还讨论了我们自己的研究结果，表明 CAF 衍生的因子对乳腺癌细胞的干细胞特性具有强烈的刺激作用。基于最近的文献，我们得出结论，CAF 是癌细胞干细胞特性的强有力调节剂。这种效应在肿瘤细胞扩散和转移的早期阶段可能尤其相关。
