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The Tumor Microenvironment as a Transient Niche: A Modulator of Epigenetic States and Stem Cell Functions

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Trends in Stem Cell Proliferation and Cancer Research

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Abstract

For the cancer stem cell hypothesis to exist, a complimentary “niche” or tumor microenvironment must be present to provide a proper context for the malignant cell to flourish. There are a myriad of factors produced by the tumor microenvironment to regulate tumor initiation, growth, and survival. These signals undoubtedly alter and are altered by epigenetic regulation of gene expression programs that are also tightly linked to both stem cell pluripotency and malignancy. Yet little work has been done to interrogate this interaction. As our understanding of the interplay between malignant cells, their niche microenvironments, and the change of epigenetic states develops, we will gain better ability to generate relevant systems to model these interactions as well as potentially providing rational novel entry points for drug design.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Life Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Lorena E. Mora-Blanco & Mark A. LaBarge

  2. Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5009, Bergen, Norway

    James B. Lorens

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  1. Lorena E. Mora-Blanco
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  3. Mark A. LaBarge
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Correspondence to Mark A. LaBarge .

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  1. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rodrigo R. Resende

  2. Depto. Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo Inst. Química, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Henning Ulrich

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Mora-Blanco, L.E., Lorens, J.B., LaBarge, M.A. (2013). The Tumor Microenvironment as a Transient Niche: A Modulator of Epigenetic States and Stem Cell Functions. In: Resende, R., Ulrich, H. (eds) Trends in Stem Cell Proliferation and Cancer Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6211-4_17

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