Mature intestinal cells regain stem cell behavior to trigger tumor growth

In a groundbreaking study, Stevens researchers show how colorectal cancers can evolve from mature intestinal cells that revert to stem cells. These findings explain why colorectal cancers are so resistant to treatment and can help inform the development of effective therapies for intestinal tumors.

In this environment, colon tumors can start in two ways, explains Perekatt. One way is "bottom-up" in which normal stem cells deep in the intestine mutate and turn cancerous. The second, "top-down" way happens when mature cells near the surface of the intestine reprogram themselves, becoming stem-like again and then turn into cancer cells.

In the study, Perekatt's team induced mutations into a sample of stem cells in a mouse model and watched how they developed. The scientists noticed that while the mutant stem cells were eventually replaced by normal, healthy stem cells, a subset of the mutants' progenitor cells became cancerous. "We don't know why they change and why only a subset changes," says Perekatt. "It's very random, very sporadic. But when they change, they develop tumors."

Source:

Stevens Institute of Technology

Journal reference: