Generation of breast cancer stem cells through epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 18682804.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0002888 and PMC identifier 2492808.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Recently, two novel concepts have emerged in cancer biology: the role of so-called "cancer stem cells" in tumor initiation, and the involvement of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the metastatic dissemination of epithelial cancer cells. Using a mammary tumor progression model, we show that cells possessing both stem and tumorigenic characteristics of "cancer stem cells" can be derived from human mammary epithelial cells following the activation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. The acquisition of these stem and tumorigenic characters is driven by EMT induction.
Medical subject headings
- Breast Neoplasms
- Epithelial Cells
- Mesoderm
- Stem Cells