Apoptosis in normal and cancer stem cells.
Cancer stem cells, previously identified in acute leukemias, have now been isolated from several human malignancies, such as breast, brain and gastrointestinal tumors. The origin of these cells is still questionable, but a growing body of evidence supports the idea that they are responsible for tumor growth and maintenance. For this reason, they have become a primary subject of investigation with a view to developing novel therapies that might lead to the eradication of neoplastic diseases. As previously demonstrated, cancer stem cells in haematological diseases have biological properties similar to those of normal adult stem cells. Therefore, better knowledge of the apoptotic machinery in stem cells might help in the development of targeted therapy for treating cancers. In this review, we discuss some concepts relating to stem cell biology, focusing on the apoptotic responses of haematopoietic and neural stem cells to conventional and novel cancer treatment strategies.
Department of Experimental Oncology, Mediterranean Institute of Oncology, Viagrande, Catania, Italy.
Gioacchin
G
Iannolo
Concetta
C
Conticello
Lorenzo
L
Memeo
Ruggero
R
De Maria
D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000502:physiology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis; D004249:DNA Damage; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000628:therapy; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010455:Peptides / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D051020:bcl-X Protein / Q000502:physiology
D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010455:Peptides; D051020:bcl-X Protein