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  3. Targeting BMI1+ Cancer Stem Cells Overcomes Chemoresistance and Inhibits Metastases in Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Targeting BMI1+ Cancer Stem Cells Overcomes Chemoresistance and Inhibits Metastases in Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  • Cell Stem Cell. 2017 May 4;20(5):621-634.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2017.02.003.
Demeng Chen 1,  Mansi Wu 1,  Yang Li 1,  Insoon Chang 1,  Quan Yuan 1,  Mari Ekimyan-Salvo 1,  Peng Deng 1,  Bo Yu 1,  Yongxin Yu 1,  Jiaqiang Dong 1,  John M Szymanski 1,  Sivakumar Ramadoss 1,  Jiong Li 1,  Cun-Yu Wang 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Laboratory of Molecular Signaling, Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
  • 2 Laboratory of Molecular Signaling, Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 28285905 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2017.02.003
Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck (HNSCC) is a common yet poorly understood Cancer, with adverse clinical outcomes due to treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. Putative Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) have been identified in HNSCC, and BMI1 expression has been linked to these phenotypes, but optimal treatment strategies to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance and eliminate metastases have not yet been identified. Here we show through lineage tracing and genetic ablation that BMI1+ CSCs mediate invasive growth and cervical lymph node metastasis in a mouse model of HNSCC. This model and primary human HNSCC samples contain highly tumorigenic, invasive, and cisplatin-resistant BMI1+ CSCs, which exhibit increased AP-1 activity that drives invasive growth and metastasis of HNSCC. Inhibiting AP-1 or BMI1 sensitized tumors to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, and it eliminated lymph node metastases by targeting CSCs and the tumor bulk, suggesting potential regimens to overcome resistance to treatments and eradicate HNSCC metastasis.

Keywords

AP-1; Bmi1; cancer stem cells; chemotherapy; cisplatin resistance; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; metastasis.

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