title: Activation of the germ-cell potential of human bone marrow-derived cells by a chemical carcinogen.
abstract: Embryonic/germ cell traits are common in malignant tumors and are thought to be involved in malignant tumor behaviors. The reasons why tumors show strong embryonic/germline traits (displaced germ cells or gametogenic programming reactivation) are controversial. Here, we show that a chemical carcinogen, 3-methyl-cholanthrene (3-MCA), can trigger the germ-cell potential of human bone marrow-derived cells (hBMDCs). 3-MCA promoted the generation of germ cell-like cells from induced hBMDCs that had undergone malignant transformation, whereas similar results were not observed in the parallel hBMDC culture at the same time point. The malignant transformed hBMDCs spontaneously and more efficiently generated into germ cell-like cells even at the single-cell level. The germ cell-like cells from induced hBMDCs were similar to natural germ cells in many aspects, including morphology, gene expression, proliferation, migration, further development, and teratocarcinoma formation. Therefore, our results demonstrate that a chemical carcinogen can reactivate the germline phenotypes of human somatic tissue-derived cells, which might provide a novel idea to tumor biology and therapy.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China [2].
authors.forename: Chunfang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China [2] Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200040, China [3].
authors.forename: Zhan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China [2].
authors.forename: Songtao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Yinglu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Ruilai
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Research Institute of Respiratory Disease, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008748:Methylcholanthrene / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D018243:Teratocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D008748:Methylcholanthrene