Role of cancer cell stemness in the development of peritoneal metastasis and drug resistance

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Expression of various candidate stem cell markers was evaluated using clinical specimens from gastric cancer patients. Through this approach, role of stem cells in the formation of peritoneal metastasis was assessed. The expression of one of the markers, L1, was found to be a significant prognosticator. Furthermore, L1 was found to enhance cell proliferation and motility through activation of p-ERK, and several genes including DYRK1A were co-down-regulated by siRNA-mediated inhibition of the L1 expression. On the other hand, analysis of stem cell markers in the clinical specimens did not support the notion that stem cells had a particular role in the formation of peritoneal metastasis, and intractability of peritoneal metastasis may be attributed to other factors.