CD133 Is Essential for Glioblastoma Stem Cell Maintenance

The role of the cell surface CD133 as a cancer stem cell marker in glioblastoma (GBM) has been widely investigated, since it identifies cells that are able to initiate neurosphere growth and form heterogeneous tumors when transplanted in immune‐compromised mice. However, evidences of CD133‐negative...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2013-05, Vol.31 (5), p.857-869
Main Authors: Brescia, Paola, Ortensi, Barbara, Fornasari, Lorenzo, Levi, Daniel, Broggi, Giovanni, Pelicci, Giuliana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AC133 Antigen
Animals
Antigens, CD - genetics
Antigens, CD - immunology
Antigens, CD - metabolism
Apoptosis - physiology
Brain Neoplasms - immunology
Brain Neoplasms - metabolism
Brain Neoplasms - pathology
Cancer stem cell
CD133
Cell Differentiation - physiology
Cell Growth Processes - physiology
Cell Line, Tumor
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma - immunology
Glioblastoma - metabolism
Glioblastoma - pathology
Glycoproteins - genetics
Glycoproteins - immunology
Glycoproteins - metabolism
Humans
Mice
Mice, Nude
Neoplastic Stem Cells - immunology
Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism
Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology
Peptides - genetics
Peptides - immunology
Peptides - metabolism
Self‐renewal
Stem cells
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The role of the cell surface CD133 as a cancer stem cell marker in glioblastoma (GBM) has been widely investigated, since it identifies cells that are able to initiate neurosphere growth and form heterogeneous tumors when transplanted in immune‐compromised mice. However, evidences of CD133‐negative cells exhibiting similar properties have also been reported. Moreover, the functional role of CD133 in cancer stem/progenitor cells remains poorly understood. We studied the biological effects of CD133 downregulation in GBM patient‐derived neurospheres. Our results indicate that there is not a hierarchical relation between CD133‐positive and CD133‐negative cells composing the neurospheres. Indeed, CD133 appears in an interconvertible state, changing its subcellular localization between the cytoplasm and the plasmamembrane of neurosphere cells. Silencing of CD133 in human GBM neurospheres using lentivirus‐mediated short hairpin RNA impairs the self‐renewal and tumorigenic capacity of neurosphere cells. These results imply that CD133 could be used as a therapeutic target in GBMs. STEM CELLS 2013;31:857–869
ISSN:1066-5099
1549-4918
DOI:10.1002/stem.1317