A subpopulation of CD133+ cancer stem-like cells characterized in human oral squamous cell carcinoma confer resistance to chemotherapy

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 289; no. 2; pp. 151 - 160
• Main Authors: Zhang, Qunzhou, Shi, Shihong, Yen, Yun, Brown, Jimmy, Ta, Joseph Quoc, Le, Anh D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 28.03.2010; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: AC133 Antigen; Animals; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Breast cancer; Cancer therapies; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; CD133 + cancer stem-like cell; Chemoresistance; Chemotherapy; Colleges & universities; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Flow Cytometry; Genotype & phenotype; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Head & neck cancer; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Medical research; Mice; Mice, Nude; Mouth Neoplasms - drug therapy; Mouth Neoplasms - pathology; Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism; Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Peptides - metabolism; Population; Radiation therapy; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Stem cells; Tumors; United States > US; CD133 + cancer stem-like cell; Chemoresistance; Oral squamous cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2009.08.010

Abstract The potential role of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) in chemoresistance of human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was examined. A small subpopulation (1–2%) of CD133+ CSCs was identified in OSCC cell lines and tissues. These CD133+ CSCs possess higher clonogenicity, invasiveness, and increased in vivo tumorigenicity as compared to CD133− counterparts. Meanwhile, CD133+ CSCs were substantially resistant to standard chemotherapy, wherein both in vitro and in vivo treatment with paclitaxel resulted in a marked enrichment for CD133+ CSCs. Our data suggest that CD133+ cells represent a small subpopulation of CSCs that may contribute to chemoresistance in human OSCC.