title: CD133+ subpopulation of the HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cell line exhibits cancer stem-like characteristics.
abstract: The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory holds that a minority population within tumors possesses stem cell properties of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capacity and provides the initiating cells from which tumors are derived and sustained. However, verifying the existence of these CSCs has been a significant challenge. The CD133 antigen is a pentaspan membrane glycoprotein proposed to be a CSC marker for cancer-initiating subpopulations in the brain, colon and various other tissues. Here, CD133+ cells were obtained and characterized from the HT1080 cell line to determine the utility of this marker for isolating CSCs from human fibrosarcoma cells. In this study, CD133+ cells were separated from HT1080 cells using magnetic beads and characterized for their proliferation rate and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, cisplatin and doxorubicin, by MTS assay. Relative expression of tumor-associated genes Sox2, Oct3/4, Nanog, c-Myc, Bmi-1 and ABCG2 was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clonal sphere formation and the ability of CD133+ cells to initiate tumors in BALB/c nude mice was also evaluated. We found that CD133+ cells showed a high proliferation rate, increased resistance to chemotherapy drugs and overexpression of tumor-associated genes compared with these features in CD133- cells. Additionally, CD133+ cells were able to form spherical clusters in serum-free medium with high clonogenic efficiency, indicating a significantly greater tumor-initiating potential when compared with CD133- cells. These findings indicate that CD133+ cells identified within the HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cell line possess many CSC properties and may facilitate the development of improved therapies for fibrosarcoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Bao-Hua
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Ai-Guo
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wen-Guang
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Xian-Gyang
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Tie-Jun
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Hong-Zhi
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000070997:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 / Q000235:genetics; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C116614:ABCG2 protein, human; D000071916:AC133 Antigen; D000070997:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D015703:Antigens, CD; C069077:BMI1 protein, human; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C486780:NANOG protein, human; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494173:POU5F1 protein, human; C000606023:PROM1 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; C000606024:Prom1 protein, mouse; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; C527782:SOX2 protein, human; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D004317:Doxorubicin; D063150:Polycomb Repressive Complex 1; D002945:Cisplatin