Cancer stem cells and tumor heterogeneity: Deciphering the role in tumor progression and metastasis. 2022

Upasana Kapoor-Narula, and Nibedita Lenka
National Centre for Cell Science, Pune 411007, India.

Tumor heterogeneity, in principle, reflects the variation among different cancer cell populations. It can be termed inter- or intra-tumoral heterogeneity, respectively, based on its occurrence in various tissues from diverse patients or within a single tumor. The intra-tumoral heterogeneity is one of the leading causes of cancer progression and treatment failure, with the cancer stem cells (CSCs) contributing immensely to the same. These niche cells, similar to normal stem cells, possess the characteristics of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. Moreover, CSCs contribute to tumor growth and surveillance by promoting recurrence, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Diverse factors, including intracellular signalling pathways and tumor microenvironment (TME), play a vital role in regulating these CSCs. Although a panel of markers is considered to identify the CSC pool in various cancers, further research is needed to discriminate cancer-specific CSC markers in those. CSCs have also been found to be promising therapeutic targets for cancer therapy. Several small molecules, natural compounds, antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells, and CAR-natural killer (CAR-NK) cells have emerged as therapeutic tools for specific targeting of CSCs. Interestingly, many of these are in clinical trials too. Despite being a much-explored avenue of research for years, and we have come to understand its nitty-gritty, there is still a tremendous gap in our knowledge concerning its precise genesis and regulation. Hence, a concrete understanding is needed to assess the CSC-TME link and how to target different cancer-specific CSCs by designing newer tools. In this review, we have summarized CSC, its causative, different pathways and factors regulating its growth, association with tumor heterogeneity, and last but not least, discussed many of the promising CSC-targeted therapies for combating cancer metastasis.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009369 Neoplasms New abnormal growth of tissue. Malignant neoplasms show a greater degree of anaplasia and have the properties of invasion and metastasis, compared to benign neoplasms. Benign Neoplasm,Cancer,Malignant Neoplasm,Tumor,Tumors,Benign Neoplasms,Malignancy,Malignant Neoplasms,Neoplasia,Neoplasm,Neoplasms, Benign,Cancers,Malignancies,Neoplasias,Neoplasm, Benign,Neoplasm, Malignant,Neoplasms, Malignant
D002454 Cell Differentiation Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function that leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs. Differentiation, Cell,Cell Differentiations,Differentiations, Cell
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014411 Neoplastic Stem Cells Highly proliferative, self-renewing, and colony-forming stem cells which give rise to NEOPLASMS. Cancer Stem Cells,Colony-Forming Units, Neoplastic,Stem Cells, Neoplastic,Tumor Stem Cells,Neoplastic Colony-Forming Units,Tumor Initiating Cells,Cancer Stem Cell,Cell, Cancer Stem,Cell, Neoplastic Stem,Cell, Tumor Initiating,Cell, Tumor Stem,Cells, Cancer Stem,Cells, Neoplastic Stem,Cells, Tumor Initiating,Cells, Tumor Stem,Colony Forming Units, Neoplastic,Colony-Forming Unit, Neoplastic,Initiating Cell, Tumor,Initiating Cells, Tumor,Neoplastic Colony Forming Units,Neoplastic Colony-Forming Unit,Neoplastic Stem Cell,Stem Cell, Cancer,Stem Cell, Neoplastic,Stem Cell, Tumor,Stem Cells, Cancer,Stem Cells, Tumor,Tumor Initiating Cell,Tumor Stem Cell,Unit, Neoplastic Colony-Forming,Units, Neoplastic Colony-Forming
D015398 Signal Transduction The intracellular transfer of information (biological activation/inhibition) through a signal pathway. In each signal transduction system, an activation/inhibition signal from a biologically active molecule (hormone, neurotransmitter) is mediated via the coupling of a receptor/enzyme to a second messenger system or to an ion channel. Signal transduction plays an important role in activating cellular functions, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation. Examples of signal transduction systems are the GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID-postsynaptic receptor-calcium ion channel system, the receptor-mediated T-cell activation pathway, and the receptor-mediated activation of phospholipases. Those coupled to membrane depolarization or intracellular release of calcium include the receptor-mediated activation of cytotoxic functions in granulocytes and the synaptic potentiation of protein kinase activation. Some signal transduction pathways may be part of larger signal transduction pathways; for example, protein kinase activation is part of the platelet activation signal pathway. Cell Signaling,Receptor-Mediated Signal Transduction,Signal Pathways,Receptor Mediated Signal Transduction,Signal Transduction Pathways,Signal Transduction Systems,Pathway, Signal,Pathway, Signal Transduction,Pathways, Signal,Pathways, Signal Transduction,Receptor-Mediated Signal Transductions,Signal Pathway,Signal Transduction Pathway,Signal Transduction System,Signal Transduction, Receptor-Mediated,Signal Transductions,Signal Transductions, Receptor-Mediated,System, Signal Transduction,Systems, Signal Transduction,Transduction, Signal,Transductions, Signal
D059016 Tumor Microenvironment The milieu surrounding neoplasms consisting of cells, vessels, soluble factors, and molecules, that can influence and be influenced by, the neoplasm's growth. Cancer Microenvironment,Cancer Microenvironments,Microenvironment, Cancer,Microenvironment, Tumor,Microenvironments, Cancer,Microenvironments, Tumor,Tumor Microenvironments

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