title: Osteopontin, a possible modulator of cancer stem cells and their malignant niche.
abstract: The reciprocal interaction between cancer stem cells and their niche is important for oncogenesis and tumor progression, but the factors involved in this interrelationship remain largely unknown. We have recently demonstrated that osteopontin plays a crucial role in the crosstalk between CD44+colorectal cancer stem cells and tumor-associated macrophages.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences; Nankai University; Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Guanhua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: CD44; cancer stem cells; niche; osteopontin; tumor-associated macrophages