title: A novel molecular marker of breast cancer stem cells identified by cell-SELEX method.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to initiate mammary tumors and render them resistant to anti-cancer therapies. However, there are currently no ideal biomarkers to identify this minority population in breast cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To find out the oligonucleotides with high specificity and affinity for mammosphere cells using a high capacity ssDNA library.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the cell-SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment process) method. MCF-7 cells were cultured in serum-free media to form mammosphere cells as enriched stem cells, and were used as the positive target cells. The normal breast epithelial MCF-10A and MCF-7sal cells, which are MCF-7 cells treated with Salinomycin, were used as the negative target cells. We collected the ssDNA pools that were bound to positive target cells, and could not bind negative target cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 13 rounds of selection, we isolated the MS03 aptamer with high specificity and affinity for mammosphere cells. When compared with CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) cells, MS03(+) cells did not show any significant difference in sphere formation ability in vitro. In addition, 63.3% of MS03 aptamer-selected cells exhibited the CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) phenotype. Because the MS03 aptamer is synthesized easily and non-immunogenic, it is much more flexible than CD44/CD24 as a breast CSC biomarker.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MS03 aptamer may become a promising molecular probe during diagnostic and therapeutic applications in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Capital Medicine University Cancer Center, Beijing Key Lab of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medicine University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Capital Medicine University Cancer Center, Beijing Key Lab of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medicine University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Peking University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Capital Medicine University Cancer Center, Beijing Key Lab of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medicine University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Capital Medicine University Cancer Center, Beijing Key Lab of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medicine University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xinna
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Capital Medicine University Cancer Center, Beijing Key Lab of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medicine University, Haidian, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051927:CD24 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010641:Phenotype; D052156:SELEX Aptamer Technique; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051927:CD24 Antigen; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors
keywords: Breast cancer; SELEX; aptamer; biomarker; cancer stem cell; cell-SELEX