title: Stem cells and targeted approaches to melanoma cure.
abstract: Melanoma stem cells, also known as malignant melanoma-initiating cells, are identifiable through expression of specific biomarkers such as ABCB5 (ATP-binding cassette, sub-family B (MDR/TAP), member 5), NGFR (nerve growth factor receptor, CD271) and ALDH (aldehyde dehydrogenase), and drive melanoma initiation and progression based on prolonged self-renewal capacity, vasculogenic differentiation and immune evasion. As we will review here, specific roles of these aggressive subpopulations have been documented in tumorigenic growth, metastatic dissemination, therapeutic resistance, and malignant recurrence. Moreover, recent findings have provided pre-clinical proof-of-concept for the potential therapeutic utility of the melanoma stem cell concept. Therefore, melanoma stem cell-directed therapeutic approaches represent promising novel strategies to improve therapy of this arguably most virulent human cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: gmurphy@rics.bwh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Research Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Residency Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sasha D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Girouard
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Natasha Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Research Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: markus.frank@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Markus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation*
keywords: ABCB5; Cancer stem cell; Drug resistance; Immune evasion; Melanoma; Therapy; Vasculogenic mimicry