title: Elevated survivin mediated multidrug resistance and reduced apoptosis in breast cancer stem cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Overexpression of survivin in breast cancer cells is associated with aberrant inhibition of apoptosis which leads to massive proliferation of cancer cells. Downregulation of survivin by the anticancer agent prodigiosin can efficiently induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  The levels of survivin expression in breast cancer stem like side population (SP) cells were assessed. Analyzed were also the rate of apoptosis, drug resistance and the efficiency of clone formation of breast cancer SP cells after treatment with progiosin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Breast cancer samples contained about 2.7% of cancer stem like SP cells which possessed elevated mRNA expression of stem cell proteins Oct-4, EpCAM and ABC transporter ABCG2, essential for the maintenance of SP cells. Furthermore, the SP cells displayed overexpression of survivin in conjunction with reduced apoptosis and increased multidrug resistance. After treatment with prodigiosin, the SP cells became more sensitive to apoptosis and to several chemotherapeutic agents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that increased expression of survivin in SP cells is one of the major factors involved in apoptosis and resistance to chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Xinjiang Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 830011, China.
authors.forename: Chan-Juan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jiang-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.forename: Ming-Long
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Nuerbolati
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jialielihan
authors.forename: Ya-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D000077022:Survivin
chemical_list: C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D000077022:Survivin