Re: Gene signatures distinguish stage-specific prostate cancer stem cells isolated from transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate lesions and predict the malignancy of human tumors: Editorial comment

摘要

Editorial Comment: The neurosphere assay can be successfully applied to specimens derived from different stages of prostate cancer progression from the TRAMP mouse to establish long-term propagating prostate cancer stem cells. This study provides the first evidence that a functional in vitro assay may be used to isolate prostate cancer stem cells from autochthonous mouse tumors. Relevantly these prostate cancer stem cells molecularly phenocopy the corresponding human prostate cancer. Functional and molecular characterization of stage specific prostate cancer stem cells (the cells responsible for tumor initiation, progression and relapse) might lead to the identification of novel, potentially relevant mediators of prostate cancer development. The findings provide a rationale for the use of mouse prostate cancer stem cells as a valuable preclinical model for human prostate cancer, which can be used to define cancer stem cell associated gene signatures holding a highly predictive value when tested across human data sets and identify genes to be targeted therapeutically.