| Title |
HepG2 cells acquire stem cell-like characteristics after immune cell stimulation
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Cellular Oncology, December 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s13402-015-0249-1 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Hang Wang, Miqing Yang, Ling Lin, Hongzhen Ren, Chaotong Lin, Suling Lin, Guoying Shen, Binfeng Ji, Chun Meng |
| Abstract |
The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is currently regarded as one of the main culprits of tumor formation and therapy failure. It is known that chronic inflammation is associated with CSCs, but it is not clear yet how inflammation affects the development of CSCs. In the present study we aimed to examine the relationship between cancer cell stimulation mediated by immune cells and the acquisition of a CSC-like phenotype. Cancer cells derived from single hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells were treated with mouse splenic B cells (MSBCs) and mouse peritoneal macrophage cells (MPMCs), respectively. The stem cell-like characteristics of the resulting HepG2 cells (MSBC-HepG2 and MPMC-HepG2) were evaluated using different assays, including biomarker assays, in vitro tumoroid and colony forming assays, in vivo tumor forming assays and signal transduction pathway activation assays. Various stemness characteristics of HepG2 cells, including self-renewal, proliferation, chemoresistance and tumorigenicity were evaluated. The expression levels of stemness-related genes and its encoded proteins in the MSBC-HepG2 and MPMC-HepG2 cells were assessed using RT-PCR and FACS analyses. We found that MSBC-HepG2 and MPMC-HepG2 cells possess hepatic CSC properties, including persistent self-renewal, extensive proliferation, drug resistance, high tumorigenic capacity and over-expression of CSC-related genes and proteins (i.e., EpCAM, ALDH, CD133 and CD44), compared to the parental cells. We also found that 1x10(3) MSBC-HepG2 and MPMC-HepG2 cells were able to form tumors in NOD/SCID mice and that the Notch and SHH signaling pathways were highly activated in MSBC-HepG2 cells. We conclude that the immune system may have a double-edge effect on cancer development. On one hand, immune cells such as B lymphocytes and macrophages may recognize, attack and eliminate cancer cells, whereas on the other hand, they may promote a subset of cancer cells to acquire stem cell-like characteristics. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 3 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 3 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 2 | 67% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 22 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown | 21 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 32% |
| Researcher | 4 | 18% |
| Student > Master | 2 | 9% |
| Student > Bachelor | 2 | 9% |
| Professor > Associate Professor | 1 | 5% |
| Other | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown | 5 | 23% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 23% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 5 | 23% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 18% |
| Environmental Science | 1 | 5% |
| Unknown | 7 | 32% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 22 December 2015.
All research outputs
#16,291,311
of 23,999,200 outputs
Outputs from Cellular Oncology
#181
of 426 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#235,961
of 396,302 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Cellular Oncology
#5
of 13 outputs
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So far Altmetric has tracked 426 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 2.7. This one is in the 47th percentile – i.e., 47% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 13 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 61% of its contemporaries.