Wu Yingmiao, Luo Ji, Zhou Yue, Lin Jiaoya, Wu Yajie, Zheng Shuai, Chen Jiao, Che Feifei, Wang Qiang, Zhong Ling
Genetic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Medical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Front Oncol. 2025 Jul 29;15:1596928. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1596928. eCollection 2025.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy and remains incurable, with high rates of relapses and refractory. One of the root causes is the presence of multiple myeloma stem cells (MMSCs). The deficiency of MMSC treatment lies in the lack of specific targets. CD19, CD138, CD27, and ALDH have been regarded as markers for MMSCs; however, none of them can reliably identify MMSCs. Therefore, identifying unique markers of MMSCs is crucial. Nestin, a class-VI intermediate filament protein, was originally described as a marker of neuroepithelial stem/progenitor cells. Recently, nestin has been reported to be a useful marker and therapeutic target of cancer stem cell (CSC) in solid tumors, reflecting its importance in drug resistance and poor prognosis. Although nestin has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in MM, its biological role in MM has not yet been thoroughly explored. This review summarizes the latest research progress of nestin in MM, including the characteristics of nestin, its role in CSCs across different cancers, the current status and cutting-edge detection technologies of MMSC, involved signaling pathways and clinical relevance in MM. It emphasizes that nestin is a more specific and effective potential therapeutic target for MMSC.
多发性骨髓瘤（MM）是第二常见的血液系统恶性肿瘤，仍然无法治愈，复发率和难治率很高。根本原因之一是存在多发性骨髓瘤干细胞（MMSCs）。MMSC治疗的不足在于缺乏特异性靶点。CD19、CD138、CD27和醛脱氢酶（ALDH）已被视为MMSCs的标志物；然而，它们都不能可靠地识别MMSCs。因此，识别MMSCs的独特标志物至关重要。巢蛋白是一种VI类中间丝蛋白，最初被描述为神经上皮干细胞/祖细胞的标志物。最近，巢蛋白已被报道为实体瘤中癌症干细胞（CSC）的有用标志物和治疗靶点，反映了其在耐药性和不良预后中的重要性。尽管巢蛋白已被报道与MM的不良预后相关，但其在MM中的生物学作用尚未得到充分探索。本综述总结了巢蛋白在MM中的最新研究进展，包括巢蛋白的特征、其在不同癌症的CSCs中的作用、MMSC的现状和前沿检测技术、MM中涉及的信号通路和临床相关性。它强调巢蛋白是MMSC更特异和有效的潜在治疗靶点。
