Nuclear EGFR-PKM2 axis induces cancer stem cell-like characteristics in irradiation-resistant cells

Radiation therapy has become an important tool in the treatment of cancer patients, but most patients relapse within 5 years. Relapse is due to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), but the molecular mechanism of radioresistance in CSCs remains largely elusive. Here, we found that irradiation-resistant (IR) cells exhibited increased stem cell-like properties together with elevated anchorage-independent growth and metastasis ability. EGFR not only leads to increased acquisition of endometrial cancer stem cell markers in radioresistant sublines but is critical for the cancer stem-cell phenotype and tumorigenicity.

Source: Cancer Letters - February 22, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Ying Shi, Na Liu, Weiwei Lai, Bin Yan, Ling Chen, Shouping Liu, Shuang Liu, Xiang Wang, Desheng Xiao, Xiaoli Liu, Chao Mao, Yiqun Jiang, Jiantao Jia, Yating Liu, Rui Yang, Ya Cao, Yongguang Tao Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research