Signaling pathways governing breast cancer stem cells behavior.
Kai SongMaryam FarzanehPublished in: Stem cell research & therapy (2021)
Breast cancer is the second common cancer and the leading cause of malignancy among females overall. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are a small population of breast cancer cells that play a critical role in the metastasis of breast cancer to other organs in the body. BCSCs have both self-renewal and differentiation capacities, which are thought to contribute to the aggressiveness of metastatic lesions. Therefore, targeting BCSCs can be a suitable approach for the treatment and metastasis of breast cancer. Growing evidence has indicated that the Wnt, NFκB, Notch, BMP2, STAT3, and hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathways govern epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activation, growth, and tumorigenesis of BCSCs in the primary regions. miRNAs as the central regulatory molecules also play critical roles in BCSC self-renewal, metastasis, and drug resistance. Hence, targeting these pathways might be a novel therapeutic approach for breast cancer diagnosis and therapy. This review discusses known signaling mechanisms involved in the stimulation or prevention of BCSC self-renewal, metastasis, and tumorigenesis.
Keyphrases
- cancer stem cells
- signaling pathway
- cell proliferation
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- stem cells
- breast cancer cells
- small cell lung cancer
- pi k akt
- cancer therapy
- squamous cell carcinoma
- oxidative stress
- childhood cancer
- mesenchymal stem cells
- transcription factor
- papillary thyroid
- immune response
- induced apoptosis
- young adults
- drug delivery
- breast cancer risk
- toll like receptor