Brca1 Breast Tumors and Cancer Stem Cells
Author Information
Author(s): Mollie H Wright, Anna Maria Calcagno, Crystal D Salcido, Marisa D Carlson, Suresh V Ambudkar, Lyuba Varticovski
Primary Institution: National Cancer Institute
Hypothesis
Whether cancer stem cells occur in BRCA1-associated breast cancer and contribute to therapeutic response is not known.
Conclusion
Brca1-deficient mouse mammary tumors harbor heterogeneous cancer stem cell populations, and CD44+/CD24- cells represent a population that correlates with human breast cancer stem cells.
Supporting Evidence
- All cell lines derived from one tumor included increased numbers of CD44+/CD24- cells.
- Cells sorted for cancer stem cell markers were significantly more resistant to DNA-damaging drugs.
- As few as 50 to 100 CD44+/CD24- or CD133+ sorted cells rapidly formed tumors in mice.
Takeaway
Some cells in Brca1 breast tumors can act like stem cells, which might help explain why some treatments don't work well.
Methodology
Generated and characterized 16 cell lines from five distinct Brca1-deficient mouse mammary tumors with respect to their cancer stem cell characteristics.
Limitations
The study is limited by the size of each original tumor and the variability in tumor growth and characteristics.
Participant Demographics
Brca1-deficient mouse mammary tumors.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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