title: Isolation and characterization of cancer stem cells from a human glioblastoma cell line U87.
abstract: A variety of malignant cancers have been found to contain a subpopulation of stem cell-like tumor cells, or cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the existence of CSCs in U87, a most commonly used glioma cell line, is still controversial. In this study, we demonstrate that U87 cell line contained a fraction of tumor cells that could form tumor spheres and were enriched by progressively increasing the concentration of serum-free neural stem cell medium with or without low dose vincristine. These cells possessed the ability of self-renewal and multipotency, the defined characteristics of CSCs. Moreover, the tumors formed by the secondary spheres displayed typical histological features of human glioblastoma, including cellular pleomorphism, pseudopalisades surrounding necrosis, hyperchromatic nuclei, high density of microvessels and invasion to the brain parenchyma. These results indicate that gradually increasing the concentration of serum-free neural stem cell culture medium with or without vincristine is a simple and effective method for isolation of CSCs to study the initiation and progression of human glioblastoma.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Gaotanyan 30, Shapingba District, Chongqing 400038, PR China.
authors.forename: Shi-Cang
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Yi-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Zhi-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jian-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Ji Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiu-Wu
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Bian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000473:pathology*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014750:Vincristine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014750:Vincristine; C421109:multidrug resistance-associated protein 1