Characteristics of the Cancer Stem Cell Niche and Therapeutic Strategies

Overview

Journal Stem Cell Res Ther

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2022 Jun 6

PMID 35659296

Authors

Feng Ju

Manar M Atyah

Nellie Horstmann

Sheraz Gul

Razi Vago

Christiane J Bruns

Yue Zhao

Qiong-Zhu Dong

Ning Ren

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Distinct regions harboring cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified within the microenvironment of various tumors, and as in the case of their healthy counterparts, these anatomical regions are termed "niche." Thus far, a large volume of studies have shown that CSC niches take part in the maintenance, regulation of renewal, differentiation and plasticity of CSCs. In this review, we summarize and discuss the latest findings regarding CSC niche morphology, physical terrain, main signaling pathways and interactions within them. The cellular and molecular components of CSCs also involve genetic and epigenetic modulations that mediate and support their maintenance, ultimately leading to cancer progression. It suggests that the crosstalk between CSCs and their niche plays an important role regarding therapy resistance and recurrence. In addition, we updated diverse therapeutic strategies in different cancers in basic research and clinical trials in this review. Understanding the complex heterogeneity of CSC niches is a necessary pre-requisite for designing superior therapeutic strategies to target CSC-specific factors and/or components of the CSC niche.

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