ZIP4 Is a Novel Cancer Stem Cell Marker in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Cancers

RobertE. Emerson¹  Wen Zhang¹  Yan Xu¹  Qipeng Fan¹ 

[1] Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 950 W. Walnut St. R2-E380, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA;

关键词: ALDH;    cancer stem cell (CSC);    high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC);    NOTCH3;    ZIP4;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cancers12123692

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is one of the most deadly and heterogenic cancers. We have recently shown that ZIP4 (gene name SLC39A4), a zinc transporter, is functionally involved in cancer stem cell (CSC)-related cellular activities in HGSOC. Here, we identified ZIP4 as a novel CSC marker in HGSOC. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)-sorted ZIP4⁺, but not ZIP4⁻ cells, formed spheroids and displayed self-renewing and differentiation abilities. Over-expression of ZIP4 conferred drug resistance properties in vitro. ZIP4⁺, but not ZIP4⁻ cells, formed tumors/ascites in vivo. We conducted limiting dilution experiments and showed that 100–200 ZIP4⁺ cells from both PE04 and PEA2 cells formed larger tumors than those from 100–200 ALDH⁺ cells in mice. Mechanistically, we found that ZIP4 was an upstream regulator of another CSC-marker, NOTCH3, in HGSOC cells. NOTCH3 was functionally involved in spheroid formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo in HGSOC. Genetic compensation studies showed that NOTCH3, but not NOTCH1, was a critical downstream mediator of ZIP4. Furthermore, NOTCH3, but not NOTCH1, physically bound to ZIP4. Collectively, our data suggest that ZIP4 is a novel CSC marker and the new ZIP4-NOTCH3 axis represents important therapeutic targets in HGSOC.

【 授权许可】

Unknown