title: Biological characteristics of Rh123highstem-like cells in a side population of 786-O renal carcinoma cells.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in biological characteristics between the rhodamine 123 (Rh123)highand Rh123lowsubpopulations of the renal cancer cell line 786-O and to identify evidence for the existence of cancer stem cells in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells.In vitrocultured RCC 786-O cells were stained with Rh123, analyzed and sorted with flow cytometry. The differences in proliferative activity, long-term differentiation and radiation sensitivity between the two subpopulations were measured and the oncogenicity of each subpopulation was evaluated according to their neoplastic growth ability in soft agar and tumor-forming ability in NOD/SCID immunodeficient mice. There were two subpopulations in the cultured 786-O cells, Rh123highand Rh123lowcells. Rh123lowcells were the majority among 786-O renal carcinoma cells and barely formed solid tumors in NOD/SCID mice and colonies in soft agar. By contrast, the Rh123highcells were the minority, exhibited high proliferative activity, differentiation ability and resistance to radiation and showed high tumorigenesis potential and colony forming efficiency. The Rh123highcells had stem-like characteristics in cultured RCC 786-O cellsin vitro.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Urology, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Key Laboratory of Urological Diseases in Gansu Province, Gansu Nephro-Urological Clinical Center, Lanzhou, Gansu 730030;
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Jiayun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jinpeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhongjin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yue
keywords: cancer stem cell; flow cytometery; renal cell carcinoma; rhodamine 123; tumorigenesis