TY - JOUR
T1 - Lessons from development
T2 - A role for asymmetric stem cell division in cancer
AU - Powell, Anne E.
AU - Shung, Chia Yi
AU - Saylor, Katherine W.
AU - Müllendorf, Karin A.
AU - Weiss, Joseph B.
AU - Wong, Melissa H.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr. Rachel Dresbeck and Dr. Chris Doe for critical review of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants to M.H.W. from the NIH DK068326 , CA118235 , and A.E.P., C.S. T32HD409309 .
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - Asymmetric stem cell division has emerged as a major regulatory mechanism for physiologic control of stem cell numbers. Reinvigoration of the cancer stem cell theory suggests that tumorigenesis may be regulated by maintaining the balance between asymmetric and symmetric cell division. Therefore, mutations affecting this balance could result in aberrant expansion of stem cells. Although a number of molecules have been implicated in regulation of asymmetric stem cell division, here, we highlight known tumor suppressors with established roles in this process. While a subset of these tumor suppressors were originally defined in developmental contexts, recent investigations reveal they are also lost or mutated in human cancers. Mutations in tumor suppressors involved in asymmetric stem cell division provide mechanisms by which cancer stem cells can hyperproliferate and offer an intriguing new focus for understanding cancer biology. Our discussion of this emerging research area derives insight from a frontier area of basic science and links these discoveries to human tumorigenesis. This highlights an important new focus for understanding the mechanism underlying expansion of cancer stem cells in driving tumorigenesis.
AB - Asymmetric stem cell division has emerged as a major regulatory mechanism for physiologic control of stem cell numbers. Reinvigoration of the cancer stem cell theory suggests that tumorigenesis may be regulated by maintaining the balance between asymmetric and symmetric cell division. Therefore, mutations affecting this balance could result in aberrant expansion of stem cells. Although a number of molecules have been implicated in regulation of asymmetric stem cell division, here, we highlight known tumor suppressors with established roles in this process. While a subset of these tumor suppressors were originally defined in developmental contexts, recent investigations reveal they are also lost or mutated in human cancers. Mutations in tumor suppressors involved in asymmetric stem cell division provide mechanisms by which cancer stem cells can hyperproliferate and offer an intriguing new focus for understanding cancer biology. Our discussion of this emerging research area derives insight from a frontier area of basic science and links these discoveries to human tumorigenesis. This highlights an important new focus for understanding the mechanism underlying expansion of cancer stem cells in driving tumorigenesis.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.scr.2009.09.005
DO - 10.1016/j.scr.2009.09.005
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19853549
AN - SCOPUS:73149099388
SN - 1873-5061
VL - 4
SP - 3
EP - 9
JO - Stem Cell Research
JF - Stem Cell Research
IS - 1
ER -