title: Sox2: masterminding the root of cancer.
abstract: The transcription factor Sox2 is a master regulator that maintains stemness in embryonic stem cells and neural stem cells. Using elegant lineage tracing strategies and genetic reporter mouse models, two studies (one of which is by Vanner and colleagues in this issue of Cancer Cell) now demonstrate that rare Sox2-expressing cells are the founding cancer stem cell population driving tumor initiation and therapy resistance.
authors.affiliation: Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; MIT Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: tamwl@wi.mit.edu.
authors.forename: Wai Leong
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.affiliation: Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore; Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore; Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore. Electronic address: nghh@gis.a-star.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Huck Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002528:Cerebellar Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; C509239:SHH protein, human; C527782:SOX2 protein, human; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; C465570:Shh protein, mouse; C527783:Sox2 protein, mouse