Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is maintained by putative colorectal cancer stem-like cells (CRC-CSCs) that are responsible for CRC metastasis and relapse. Targeting these CSCs can be an effective treatment of CRC. However, reliable identification of CRC-CSCs remains controversial due to the absence of specific markers. It is assumed that glycoprotein CD133 can serve as a useful marker for identification of CRC-CSCs. In this study, we employed CD133 as a marker to identify CRC-CSCs in human (LoVo, HCT116, and SW620) and mouse (CT26) CRC cell lines. In these lines, CD133+ cells were isolated and identified by magnetic-activated cell sorting and flow cytometry. Proliferation, colony formation, and drug resistance of CD133+ cells were analyzed in vitro, and their tumorigenicity was determined in vivo on mice. Proliferation, colony-forming ability, drug resistance, and tumorigenicity of CD133+ cells were higher than those of CD133– cells. Thus, cultured CD133+ cells had the characteristics of CSCs. Hence, glycoprotein CD133 is a reliable marker to identify CRC-CSCs. These results can be used for designing a novel therapeutic target in CRC treatment.
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Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 176, No. 9, pp. 351-358, September, 2023
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You, C.Z., Xu, H., Zhao, F.S. et al. A Validation Study of CD133 as a Reliable Marker for Identification of Colorectal Cancer Stem-Like Cells. Bull Exp Biol Med 176, 369–375 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-024-06026-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-024-06026-x