BACKGROUND The cancer stem cell theory hypothesizes that cancers are perpetuated by cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor initiating cells (TIC) possessing self-renewal and other stem cell-like properties while differentiated non-stem/initiating cells have a finite life span. To investigate whether the hypothesis is applicable to lung cancer, identification of lung CSC and demonstration of these cap...

During tumor cell invasion, certain extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as hyaluronan (HA) are degraded into small oligosaccharides, which are detected in patients. We previously reported that such HA oligosaccharides induce the proteolytic cleavage of an ECM-binding molecule CD44 from tumor cells and promote tumor cell migration in a CD44-dependent manner. Here, we report that chondroit...

Differentiation of monocytes into macrophages is an important process under physiological and pathological conditions, but the underlying mechanism of monocyte differentiation is not completely clear. Some adhesion molecules have been reported to play an important role in cell differentiation. CD44 is an important adhesion molecule that mediates cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction, and partic...

AIM To determine the potential roles of CD4 and microRNA (miR)-145 in gastric cancer. METHODS The levels of CD44 and miR-145 were determined in gastric cancer cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure to the level of CD44 mRNA. A luciferase reporter assay and western blotting were performed to examine the effect of miR-145 on CD44 expression. Tumor sphere and...

Background: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma ranks second among head and neck squamous-cell carcinomas. Cancer stem cells can support cancer growth and malignant behavior. Therefore, cancer stem cells isolated from laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissue could be used to investigate the initiation, progression, and treatment strategies of this cancer. Methods: We isolated CD133-CD44-, CD133-C...

In this review we discuss the structural elements of CD44 that have been shown to be involved in specific functions. To this end, we focus primarily on experiments in which CD44 constructs are transfected into cells whose function is then assayed. The hyaluronan binding function of CD44 has been assayed in cell lines and in fusion proteins, termed CD44-Igs, consisting of the external domain of ...

CD44 is a cell surface glycoprotein present on many cell types. Many CD44 isoforms have been identified. All CD44 isoforms utilize identical transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. The hematopoietic form of CD44 (CD44H) is the major CD44 protein present on normal human lymphocytes and monocytes. One of the ligands for CD44 is hyaluronic acid (HA), a polymer consisting of repeat units of disaccha...

New drug targets, markers of disease prognosis, and more efficient treatment options are an unmet clinical need in breast cancer (BC). We have conducted a pilot study including patients with luminal B stage IIA–IIIB. The presence frequency various populations stem cells (CSC) somatic were assessed the blood, tumor tissue, normal tissue. Our results suggest that BC can be divided into two distin...

High titers of neutralizing antibodies in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection are directed primarily against the third hypervariable domain (V3) of the virion envelope glycoprotein gp120. This region has been designated the principal neutralizing domain of HIV-1. Because the frequency and significance of autologous V3 antibodies in natural infection are not fully clarified, we...