title: Identification of a subpopulation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells with cancer stem-like cell properties by high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer stem cells have been reported as a new therapeutic target in many cancers, but their existence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is largely unknown. This study was conducted to determine cancer stem-like cells in NPC cell line.
  
  
  METHODS
  Basic science experimental study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity, a putative functional marker for cancer stem cells, was assessed in Epstein-Barr virus-associated NPC cell line C666-1 cells. The ability of cells with high and low ALDH activity to proliferate, resist therapy, and initiate tumor formation was compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Enrichment of cancer stem-like cells (with high ALDH activity) in C666-1 was associated with a significantly greater ability to proliferate, be clonogenic, resist chemotherapy drugs and radiation, reconstitute a heterogeneous population, and express pluripotent markers. Furthermore, subcutaneous injection of these cells into immunodeficient nude mice resulted in a tendency of tumor formation at a higher rate as compared to cells with low ALDH activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide evidence for the existence of cancer stem-like cells in the NPC cell line C666-1 cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore. entyf@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: Fenggang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Adrian Chong Nyi
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Chunwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xuening
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: De-Yun
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kwok Seng
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Loh
mesh_terms: D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D054443:Cell Migration Assays; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase
keywords: C666-1 cell line; Epstein-Barr virus associated; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; aldehyde dehydrogenase; cancer stem-like cells; therapy resistant