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J. Cancer Mol. 4:
5-9, 2008
[Review Article]
Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cancer ¡X for Better or for Worse?
B.
Linju Yen and Men-Luh Yen
Stem Cell Research Center, National Health Research
Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan [B. L. Yen]; Department of Primary
Care Medicine and Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, College of
Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan [M.-L. Yen]
Abstract:
The importance of the microenvironment and stroma in the evolution and
progression of solid tumors has re-emerged in the past few years.
Recently, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are the progenitors of
stromal cells and fibroblasts, have also been found to interact with
cancer cells. Most commonly isolated from the bone marrow, MSCs are
multipotent adult stem cells with immunomodulatory effects and the
ability to home to sites of injury. These properties, clearly useful
for therapeutic purposes, have recently been found to be abused by
cancer cells for their own end.
However, reports also show that MSCs can inhibit tumor growth under
certain circumstances. This review briefly describes what is currently
known about this emerging field of cancer-MSC biology, which is bringing
new knowledge to an old disease and may hopefully reveal new ideas and
targets for treatment.
(Keywords: mesenchymal stem
cells; cancer microenvironment; immunosuppression; cell therapy)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Received
4/6/08;
Revised 4/9/08;
Accepted 4/9/08.
1. Correspondence:
Dr. Men-Luh Yen, Department of Primary Care Medicine and Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, National Taiwan University Hospital and College
of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Jen-Ai Road Section 1, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Phone: 886-2-23123456 ext. 5122. Fax:
886-2-23911302. E-mail:
mlyen@ntu.edu.tw
2. Abbreviations:
ECM,
extracellular matrix; FSP-1, fibroblast secreted protein-1; MMPs, matrix
metalloproteinases; SDF-1, stromal cell derived factor-1; MSCs,
mesenchymal stem cells.
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