Study of CD133+ Cancer Stem Cells in Glioblastoma
Author Information
Author(s): Liu Gentao, Yuan Xiangpeng, Zeng Zhaohui, Tunici Patrizia, Ng Hiushan, Abdulkadir Iman R, Lu Lizhi, Irvin Dwain, Black Keith L, Yu John S
Primary Institution: Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Hypothesis
CD133 positive cancer stem cells are likely to share many properties of normal stem cells that provide for a long lifespan, including resistance to drugs and toxins.
Conclusion
CD133 positive cancer stem cells display strong resistance to chemotherapy, likely due to higher expression of drug resistance genes.
Supporting Evidence
- CD133 positive cells were found to be significantly resistant to chemotherapeutic agents.
- Higher levels of BCRP1 and MGMT mRNA were expressed in CD133 positive cells.
- CD133 expression was significantly higher in recurrent GBM tissue compared to newly diagnosed tumors.
Takeaway
Some cancer cells, called CD133 positive cells, are really good at surviving treatments that usually kill cancer cells, which makes it hard to get rid of the cancer completely.
Methodology
FACS analysis was used to determine the percentage of CD133 positive cells and real-time PCR was used to analyze gene expression.
Limitations
The study was limited to three primary cultured cell lines from glioblastoma patients.
Participant Demographics
Three glioblastoma patients were involved in the study.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website