title: Isolation and characterization of potential cancer stem cells from solid human tumors--potential applications.
abstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cells within a heterogeneous tumor that have enhanced biologic properties, e.g., increased capacity for self-renewal, increased tumorigenicity, enhanced differentiation capacity, and resistance to chemo- and radiotherapies. This unit describes protocols to isolate and characterize potential cancer stem cells from a solid tumor. These involve creating a single-cell suspension from tumor tissue, tagging the cell subpopulations of interest, and sorting them into different populations. The sorted subpopulations can be evaluated for their ability to meet the functional requirements of a CSC, which primarily include increased tumorigenicity in an in vivo xenograft assay. Use of the protocols described in this unit makes it possible to study populations of cells that may have properties of CSCs.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors: Zachary C
authors: ZC
authors: Dobbin
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors: Charles N
authors: CN
authors: Landen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D015197:Carcinogenicity Tests / Q000379:methods; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D064593:Heterografts / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000494:pharmacology; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007202:Indicators and Reagents
keywords: cancer stem cells; cell separation and sorting; xenograft assay