title: Regulators of prostate cancer stem cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Significant advances have been made toward identifying prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs). This review will highlight the latest developments in defining this population and the discovery of mechanisms involved in their survival and metastasis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several groups have identified master regulators of stem cells in prostate cancer. These include genetic and epigenetic factors known to control pluripotency in embryonic stem cells and in highly metastatic prostate tumors. For instance, tumors of patients with poor prognosis demonstrate elevated levels of the pluripotent markers OCT4 and SOX2 as well as the polycomb complex protein Bmi-1 and enhancer of zeste homolog 2. Cells that are derived from these patient tumors provide an opportunity to expand our current knowledge regarding how these cells survive and the mechanisms that regulate their proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding the mechanisms of highly invasive and therapy resistant prostate cancer cells resides in understanding the CSCs, which facilitate cancer recurrence. Some of these factors are just emerging and provide a platform for developing targeted drugs for the future treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology bDepartment of Medicine and Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University dBaltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Candace L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Arif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hussain
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D035683:MicroRNAs; D014157:Transcription Factors