Fas Protects Breast Cancer Stem Cells from Death
Abstract
During the awarded period my investigations on Fas (also called CD95) signaling in breast cancer and in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) led me to identify a novel life-protective role for Fas. Briefly, I found that the non-BCSCs component of a breast tumor is more sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis, while the BCSCs part is more sensitive to the death induced by the elimination of CD95 (a phenomenon we have recently described and named DICE). This was found in different breast cancer cells lines and further investigations will provide the basis for the identification of novel molecular targets for the treatment of breast cancer. I have in fact observed a significant enhancement of cancer cell death by simultaneously inducing apoptosis and DICE in breast cancer cells, with many potential therapeutic applications. I could also demonstrate the involvement of miRNA in the process. Moreover, I have developed a novel plasmid-based tool to isolate BCSCS by the activity of miRNAs. The results were published in conferences and scientific journals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA632486
Entities
People
- Paolo Ceppi
Organizations
- Northwestern University