LC Sciences News

Recent studies have indicated that side population (SP) cells, which are an enriched source of cancer stem cells (CSCs), drive and maintain many types of human malignancies. SP cells have distinguishing biological characteristics and are thought to contribute to metastasis, therapy resistance, and tumor recurrence. In the present study¹, a group at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, PR China compared the miRNA expression profiles of SP cells and non-SP cells using miRNA array analysis. Both let-7 and miR-31 were significantly down-regulated in SP cells compared to non-SP cells. The results were confirmed by real-time PCR. (read more…)

Next, a group led by researchers at the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, Glasgow, UK showed that the reduction of miRNA maturation induced by Dicer knockdown suppressed hES-EC differentiation². A miRNA microarray was performed to quantify hES-EC miRNA profiles during defined stages of endothelial differentiation. miR-99b, miR-181a and miR-181b was identified as increasing in a time- and differentiation-dependent manner to peak in mature hESC-ECs and adult ECs. (read more…)

1. Hua S, Xiaotao X, Renhua G, Yongmei Y, Lianke L, Wen G, Yongqian S. (2012) Reduced miR-31 and let-7 maintain the balance between differentiation and quiescence in lung cancer stem-like side population cells. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy [Epub ahead of print]. [abstract]
2. Kane NM, Howard L, Descamps B, Meloni M, McClure JD, Lu R, McCahill A, Breen C, Mackenzie RM, Delles C, Mountford JC, Milligan G, Emanueli C, Baker AH. (2012) A Role for microRNAs 99b, 181a and 181b in the Differentiation to Vascular Endothelial Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells [Epub ahead of print]. [abstract]