Bmi1 Severs as a Potential Tumor-Initiating Cell Marker and Therapeutic Target in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  • Stem Cells Int. 2020 Aug 20;2020:8877577. doi: 10.1155/2020/8877577.
Xiaochen Wang  1 ,  Kang Li  1 ,  Maosheng Cheng  1 ,  Ganping Wang  1 ,  Hui Han  1 ,  Fangfang Chen  1 ,  Wenjing Liao  1 ,  Zhi Chen  1 ,  Jianwen Chen  1 ,  Yong Bao  2 ,  Liang Peng  3 ,  Demeng Chen  1
Affiliations
  • 1. Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510030, China.
  • 2. Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510030, China.
  • 3. Oncology Department, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100000, China.
PMID: 32884573 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8877577
Abstract

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a frequent malignant tumor with low 5-year overall survival. Targeting ESCC tumor-initiating cells (TICs) may provide a new research avenue to achieve better therapeutic effects of ESCC. However, the identity and characteristics of ESCC TICs remain poorly understood. Through genetic lineage tracing approach, we found that a group of Moloney murine leukemia virus insertion site 1- (Bmi1-) expressing cell populations present in the invasive front of the esophageal epithelium, providing a continuous flow of tumor cells for ESCC. Subsequently, we found that ablation of BMI1+ cells from mice with ESCC led to inhibition of tumor growth. In addition, our results demonstrated that PTC-209, an inhibitor of BMI1, was able to inhibit ESCC progression when combined with cisplatin. In summary, our data suggest that BMI1+ cells serve as TICs in ESCC.

Products