Description
Dr. Khillan and colleagues have established a unique line of putative Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) from a mouse mammary tumor which exhibit the typical properties of stem cells such as growth as multi cellular three dimensional colonies, absence of contact inhibition, alkaline phosphates staining and continuous self renewal capability. To create this cell line they applied a novel approach that stimulates the endogenous machinery of the stem cell to (reveal its identity) from the tumor mass by elevating its proliferative potential via retinol/vitamin A signaling. This approach exploits the inability of the stem cell to metabolize retinol/vitamin A into its differentiation inducing metabolite. These putative CSCs may have direct applications for translational research, drug discovery, identification of biomarkers and establishing a genetic portrait of CSCs. Although these cells have been isolated from mouse mammary tumor, this approach has potential application for isolation of CSCs from all types of human tumors. The cells will be validated for their capacity to form tumors in NOD SCID mice, their potential for differentiation into different lineages of mammary gland such as myoepithelial and lobular cells.IP Status
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