Cancer stem cells in the gut have a bad influence on neighbouring cells

Chia, Shi Biao; DeGregori, James

doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01379-z

NEWS AND VIEWS
02 June 2021

Cancer stem cells in the gut have a bad influence on neighbouring cells

Malignant stem cells in the gut secrete factors that promote the differentiation of neighbouring stem cells, thereby aiding the replacement of normal stem cells by those with cancer-promoting mutations.

Shi Biao Chia⁰ &
James DeGregori¹

Shi Biao Chia
1. Shi Biao Chia is in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
View author publications

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
James DeGregori
1. James DeGregori is in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
View author publications

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Access through your institution

Buy or subscribe

Decades of research have revealed how mutations contribute to the evolution of malignant cells and to the ultimate characteristics of a given tumour. There is growing recognition that the surrounding tissue environment affects the natural selection of these mutation-driven characteristics. Less appreciated, however, have been the effects of interactions between malignant cells and their neighbouring wild-type cells — and how, through these interactions, malignant cells shape the surrounding environment to their advantage. Writing in Nature, Yum et al.¹, Van Neerven et al.² and Flanagan et al.³ provide crucial insights into the competitive dynamics of cancer cells and their neighbouring cells in the intestine.

Access options

Access through your institution

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 594, 340-341 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01379-z

References

Yum, M. K. et al. Nature 594, 442–447 (2021).
Article Google Scholar
van Neerven, S. M. et al. Nature 594, 436–441 (2021).
Article Google Scholar
Flanagan, D. J. et al. Nature 594, 430–435 (2021).
Article Google Scholar
Kinzler, K. W. & Vogelstein, B. Cell 87, 159–170 (1996).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Kwong, L. N. & Dove, W. F. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 656, 85–106 (2009).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Suijkerbuijk, S. J. E., Kolahgar, G., Kucinski, I. & Piddini, E. Curr. Biol. 26, 428–438 (2016).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Galluzzi, L., Spranger, S., Fuchs, E. & López-Soto, A. Trends Cell Biol. 29, 44–65 (2019).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Welner, R. S. et al. Cancer Cell 27, 671–681 (2015).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Reynaud, D. et al. Cancer Cell 20, 661–673 (2011).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Sancho, M. et al. Dev. Cell 26, 19–30 (2013).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Liu, N. et al. Nature 568, 344–350 (2019).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Tanimura, N. & Fujita, Y. Semin. Cancer Biol. 63, 44–48 (2020).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Merino, M. M. et al. Cell 160, 461–476 (2015).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Pentinmikko, N. et al. Nature 571, 398–402 (2019).
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Kakiuchi, N. & Ogawa, S. Nature Rev. Cancer 21, 239–256 (2021).
Article PubMed Google Scholar