Jahangiri Leila, Ishola Tala, Pucci Perla, Trigg Ricky M, Pereira Joao, Williams John A, Cavanagh Megan L, Gkoutos Georgios V, Tsaprouni Loukia, Turner Suzanne D
Department of Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B15 3TN, UK.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Mar 11;13(6):1239. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061239.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess properties such as self-renewal, resistance to apoptotic cues, quiescence, and DNA-damage repair capacity. Moreover, CSCs strongly influence the tumour microenvironment (TME) and may account for cancer progression, recurrence, and relapse. CSCs represent a distinct subpopulation in tumours and the detection, characterisation, and understanding of the regulatory landscape and cellular processes that govern their maintenance may pave the way to improving prognosis, selective targeted therapy, and therapy outcomes. In this review, we have discussed the characteristics of CSCs identified in various cancer types and the role of autophagy and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in maintaining the homeostasis of CSCs. Further, we have discussed methods to detect CSCs and strategies for treatment and relapse, taking into account the requirement to inhibit CSC growth and survival within the complex backdrop of cellular processes, microenvironmental interactions, and regulatory networks associated with cancer. Finally, we critique the computationally reinforced triangle of factors inclusive of CSC properties, the process of autophagy, and lncRNA and their associated networks with respect to hypoxia, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and signalling pathways.
癌症干细胞（CSCs）具有自我更新、抗凋亡信号、静止以及DNA损伤修复能力等特性。此外，癌症干细胞对肿瘤微环境（TME）有强烈影响，可能是癌症进展、复发和转移的原因。癌症干细胞是肿瘤中一个独特的亚群，对其维持过程中的调控格局和细胞过程进行检测、表征和理解，可能为改善预后、选择性靶向治疗及治疗效果铺平道路。在本综述中，我们讨论了在各种癌症类型中鉴定出的癌症干细胞的特征，以及自噬和长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）在维持癌症干细胞稳态中的作用。此外，我们还讨论了检测癌症干细胞的方法以及治疗和复发策略，同时考虑到在与癌症相关的细胞过程、微环境相互作用和调控网络的复杂背景下抑制癌症干细胞生长和存活的要求。最后，我们对包括癌症干细胞特性、自噬过程、lncRNA及其与缺氧、上皮-间质转化（EMT）和信号通路相关的网络在内的计算强化因素三角进行了批判。
