近日，来自美国密歇根大学综合癌症研究中心的研究者发现了一个癌症基因和乳腺癌干细胞的恶性增殖及扩散有关，新的研究成果为乳腺癌患者的治疗提供了新思路。研究中所发现的癌症基因为RhoC，该基因可以促使许多癌症扩散以及转移，在乳腺癌的发展过程中，RhoC水平会增加，高水平的RhoC和病人的生存率直接相关。
癌干细胞是一种较小的携带肿瘤的细胞，可以助燃肿瘤细胞生长和扩散，研究者认为传统的化疗和发射性疗法常常会没有任何作用，因为并不能杀死癌干细胞，未来治疗癌症的方法或许要以这些癌干细胞为靶点来开发出新型药物和疗法。研究者的研究成果刊登在了近日的国际杂志PLoS One上。
去除癌症干细胞或许会彻底治愈某些癌症，但是与此同时，研究者要以基因RhoC为靶点，来有效控制癌干细胞的数量以及这些细胞的侵袭力。研究者研究了具有高度的转移性乳腺癌的细胞系和正常乳腺组织的细胞系，通过抑制和高表达基因RhoC，研究者发现RhoC的表达对于引发这两种乳腺癌细胞系的转移必不可少，而且单独高表达RhoC可以引发乳腺癌的转移。后期研究者在小鼠中进行检测，也发现了类似的结果。
研究者目前正在研发一种新型的抑制RhoC的小分子药物，这种新型抑制药物为治疗乳腺癌患者带来了极大的希望，而且目前在实验室研究中也得到了可喜的结果。（生物谷Bioon.com）
编译自：Driver of Breast Cancer Stem Cell Metastasis Found
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040979
PMC:
PMID:
RhoC Impacts the Metastatic Potential and Abundance of Breast Cancer Stem Cells
Devin T. Rosenthal1,2¤, Jie Zhang1, Liwei Bao1, Lian Zhu1, Zhifen Wu1, Kathy Toy3, Celina G. Kleer2,3,4, Sofia D. Merajver1,2,4*
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been shown to promote tumorigenesis of many tumor types, including breast, although their relevance to cancer metastasis remains unclear. While subpopulations of CSCs required for metastasis have been identified, to date there are no known molecular regulators of breast CSC (BCSC) metastasis. Here we identify RhoC GTPase as an important regulator of BCSC metastasis, and present evidence suggesting that RhoC also modulates the frequency of BCSCs within a population. Using an orthotopic xenograft model of spontaneous metastasis we discover that RhoC is both necessary and sufficient to promote SUM149 and MCF-10A BCSC metastasis–often independent from primary tumor formation–and can even induce metastasis of non-BCSCs within these cell lines. The relationship between RhoC and BCSCs persists in breast cancer patients, as expression of RhoC and the BCSC marker ALDH1 are highly correlated in clinical specimens. These results suggest new avenues to combating the deadliest cells driving the most lethal stage of breast cancer progression.
