The Emerging Roles of Cancer Stem Cells and Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling in Hepatoblastoma

Cancers

Nirmala Mavila¹  Jyothi Thundimadathil² 

[1] Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA;Division of Research and Development, Bachem Americas, Inc., Torrance, CA 90505, USA;

关键词: hepatoblastoma;    cancer stem cells;    pediatric liver cancer;    Wnt signaling;    beta-catenin;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cancers11101406

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common form of primary liver malignancy found in pediatric populations. HB is considered to be clonal and arises from hepatoblasts, or embryonic liver progenitor cells. These less differentiated tumor-initiating progenitor cells, or cancer stem cells (CSCs), may contribute to tumor recurrence and resistance to therapies, and have high metastatic abilities. Phenotypic heterogeneity, undesired genetic and epigenetic alterations, and dysregulated signaling pathways provide CSCs with a survival advantage over current therapies. The molecular and cellular basis of HB and the mechanism of CSC induction are not fully understood. The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is one of the major developmental pathways and is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of HB and CSC formation. This review summarizes the cellular and molecular characteristics of HB with a specific emphasis on CSCs and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.

【 授权许可】

Unknown