The AP-1 transcription factor is a heterodimer protein that regulates gene expression in response to a variety of extrinsic stimuli through signal transduction. It is involved in processes including differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Among the genes it regulates are transcription factors that contribute to the stemness phenotype. Cancer stem cells have the ability to self-renew and initiate differentiation into heterogenic cancer cells, which may cause metastasis and relapses. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of AP-1 complexes, as well as the C-FOS and C-JUN genes, in relation to NANOG, OCT3/4, and SOX2 transcription factors. All assays were undertaken with colon cancer stem cells. Knockdown experiments with siRNA were performed for each individual gene as well as their combination. Changes in gene expression were calculated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments, while the effect on cell cycle distribution and apoptosis was studied by flow cytometry. The results differed depending on the percentage of repression, as well as the gene that was suppressed. In all cases, the number of apoptotic cells was increased. These findings indicate that AP-1 may have a crucial role in the maintenance of cancer stem cells.
Keyphrases
- cancer stem cells
- transcription factor
- gene expression
- genome wide identification
- cell cycle
- cell cycle arrest
- dna methylation
- genome wide
- cell death
- dna binding
- flow cytometry
- oxidative stress
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- induced apoptosis
- cell proliferation
- copy number
- stem cells
- signaling pathway
- high throughput
- diabetic retinopathy
- optical coherence tomography
- cancer therapy
- mass spectrometry
- drug delivery
- small molecule