Sarcoma Stem Cell Heterogeneity.

Sarcoma Stem Cell Heterogeneity. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1123:95-118 Authors: Hatina J, Kripnerova M, Houfkova K, Pesta M, Kuncova J, Sana J, Slaby O, Rodríguez R Abstract Sarcomas represent an extensive group of divergent malignant diseases, with the only common characteristic of being derived from mesenchymal cells. As such, sarcomas are by definition very heterogeneous, and this heterogeneity does not manifest only upon intertumoral comparison on a bulk tumor level but can be extended to intratumoral level. Whereas part of this intratumoral heterogeneity could be understood in terms of clonal genetic evolution, an essential part includes a hierarchical relationship between sarcoma cells, governed by both genetic and epigenetic influences, signals that sarcoma cells are exposed to, and intrinsic developmental programs derived from sarcoma cells of origin. The notion of this functional hierarchy operating within each tumor implies the existence of sarcoma stem cells, which may originate from mesenchymal stem cells, and indeed, mesenchymal stem cells have been used to establish several crucial experimental sarcoma models and to trace down their respective stem cell populations. Mesenchymal stem cells themselves are heterogeneous, and, moreover, there are alternative possibilities for sarcoma cells of origin, like neural crest-derived stem cells, or mesenchymal committed precursor cells, or - in rhabdomyosarcoma - muscle satellite cel...
Source: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology - Category: Research Tags: Adv Exp Med Biol Source Type: research