Identification and characterization of human gastric cancer stem cells

我们建立了人胃肿瘤组织保持其分化和肿瘤发生的异种移植系。利用这些细胞系，我们鉴定了胃癌干细胞特异性表达的标志物。我们还证实了该标记物由从新解剖的胃癌中获得的癌症干细胞表达。此外，我们建立了无血清培养体系，胃癌干细胞增殖形成干细胞特异性结构的球体。这些球形成细胞表达抗原，并且具有高度致瘤性。我们现在正在研究它们的致瘤性是如何被控制的机制。

We established xenograft lines where human gastric tumor tissues maintain their differentiation and tumorigenesis. Using these lines, we identified a marker which was specifically expressed by gastric cancer stem cells. We also confirmed that the marker was expressed by cancer stem cells which were obtained from newly-dissected gastric cancers. Moreover, we established serum-free culture system where gastric cancer stem cells proliferate to form spheres, structures specific to stem cells. These sphere-forming cells expressed the antigen and were highly tumorigenic. We are now examining the mechanism how their tumorigenicity is controlled.