[PDF][PDF] Integrin alpha 6 regulates glioblastoma stem cells

JD Lathia, J Gallagher, JM Heddleston, J Wang… - Cell stem cell, 2010 - cell.com
JD Lathia, J Gallagher, JM Heddleston, J Wang, CE Eyler, J MacSwords, Q Wu, A Vasanji…
Cell stem cell, 2010cell.com
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of tumor cells suggested to be critical for
tumor maintenance, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Prospective identification and
targeting of CSCs are therefore priorities for the development of novel therapeutic
paradigms. Although CSC enrichment has been achieved with cell surface proteins
including CD133 (Prominin-1), the roles of current CSC markers in tumor maintenance
remain unclear. We examined the glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) perivascular …
Summary
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of tumor cells suggested to be critical for tumor maintenance, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Prospective identification and targeting of CSCs are therefore priorities for the development of novel therapeutic paradigms. Although CSC enrichment has been achieved with cell surface proteins including CD133 (Prominin-1), the roles of current CSC markers in tumor maintenance remain unclear. We examined the glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) perivascular microenvironment in patient specimens to identify enrichment markers with a functional significance and identified integrin α6 as a candidate. Integrin α6 is coexpressed with conventional GSC markers and enriches for GSCs. Targeting integrin α6 in GSCs inhibits self-renewal, proliferation, and tumor formation capacity. Our results provide evidence that GSCs express high levels of integrin α6, which can serve not only as an enrichment marker but also as a promising antiglioblastoma therapy.
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