title: Regulation of self-renewal in normal and cancer stem cells.
abstract: Mutations can confer a selective advantage on specific cells, enabling them to go through the multistep process that leads to malignant transformation. The cancer stem cell hypothesis postulates that only a small pool of low-cycling stem-like cells is necessary and sufficient to originate and develop the disease. Normal and cancer stem cells share important functional similarities such as 'self-renewal' and differentiation potential. However, normal and cancer stem cells have different biological behaviours, mainly because of a profound deregulation of self-renewal capability in cancer stem cells. Differences in mode of division, cell-cycle properties, replicative potential and handling of DNA damage, in addition to the activation/inactivation of cancer-specific molecular pathways confer on cancer stem cells a malignant phenotype. In the last decade, much effort has been devoted to unravel the complex dynamics underlying cancer stem cell-specific characteristics. However, further studies are required to identify cancer stem cell-specific markers and targets that can help to confirm the cancer stem cell hypothesis and develop novel cancer stem cell-based therapeutic approaches.
authors:  Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy.
authors: Maria V
authors: MV
authors: Verga Falzacappa
authors:  Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Ronchini
authors:  Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy.
authors: Linsey B
authors: LB
authors: Reavie
authors:  Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy.
authors: Pier G
authors: PG
authors: Pelicci
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*