Elucidation of chemoresistance of refracory cancer by single-cell gene expression analyses

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26293073
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Pathological medical chemistry
• Research Institution: National Cancer Center Japan
• Principal Investigator: Okamoto Koji 国立研究開発法人国立がん研究センター, その他部局等, その他 (80342913)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NAKAGAMA Hitoshi 国立がん研究センター, 理事長 (30198030) ; KATO Mamoru 国立がん研究センター研究所, 基盤的臨床開発研究コアセンター・バイオインフォマティクス部門, 部門長 (40391916)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 癌

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is likely that cancer chemoresistance is attributed to a subset of chemoresistant cells in cancer tissues. Therefore, it will be important to understand cancer heterogeneity to overcome cancer chemorisitance and cure refractory cancer. We aimed to elucidate cancer heterogeneity by examining mouse xenograft tumors derived from in-vitro cultivated human colon cancer stem cells. By performing single-cell gene expression analyses of the tumors, we demonstrated that a subset of Lgr5-positive stem-like cells are associated with chemoresitance. We also performed single-cell analyses in a mouse model of colon carcinogenesis and identified a stem cell group that is responsible for tumorigenicity of colon tumors.

Free Research Field

分子腫瘍学