title: Lipid droplets: a new player in colorectal cancer stem cells unveiled by spectroscopic imaging.
abstract: The cancer stem cell (CSC) model is describing tumors as a hierarchical organized system and CSCs are suggested to be responsible for cancer recurrence after therapy. The identification of specific markers of CSCs is therefore of paramount importance. Here, we show that high levels of lipid droplets (LDs) are a distinctive mark of CSCs in colorectal (CR) cancer. This increased lipid content was clearly revealed by label-free Raman spectroscopy and it directly correlates with well-accepted CR-CSC markers as CD133 and Wnt pathway activity. By xenotransplantation experiments, we have finally demonstrated that CR-CSCs overexpressing LDs retain most tumorigenic potential. A relevant conceptual advance in this work is the demonstration that a cellular organelle, the LD, is a signature of CSCs, in addition to molecular markers. A further functional characterization of LDs could lead soon to design new target therapies against CR-CSCs.
authors.affiliation: PSE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; BioNEM Lab, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tirinato
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liberale
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Franco
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Candeloro
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benfante
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: La Rocca
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Potze
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marotta
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruffilli
authors.forename: Vijayakumar P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Rajamanickam
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malerba
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falqui
authors.forename: Ennio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todaro
authors.forename: Jan Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Medema
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stassi
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Fabrizio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D066292:Lipid Droplets; D051379:Mice; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Colorectal cancer stem cells; Lipid droplets; Raman spectroscopy; Wnt/β-catenin pathway