Table 2 Cancer stem cell markers for solid tumors
From: Unraveling the triad of hypoxia, cancer cell stemness, and drug resistance
Biomarker | Full name and alternative name(s) | Expression in cancer types | Function(s) | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cell surface markers | Â | Â | Â | Â |
CD24 | Heat Stable Antigen (HSA) | HNSCC, hepatocellular, prostate, colorectal, gastric and bladder | Mediating the WNT/β-Catenin, MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Notch, and hedgehog pathways | [356] |
CD44 | Homing Cell Adhesion Molecule (HCAM) Phagocytic Glycoprotein-1 (Pgp-1) | Breast, bladder, cervical, colorectal, gastric, HNSCC, liver, pancreatic, prostate and ovarian | Recruiting ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins to interact with VEGFR and to actiavte the PI3K/Akt and Src/MAPK pathways Co-receptor of c-Met | |
CD133 | Prominin-1 PROM1 | Breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, liver, lung, prostate, pancreatic, and glioblastomas | A member of pentaspan transmembrane glycoproteins Activating the PI3K/AKT, Src, and β-Catenin | |
CXCR4 | C-X-C Chemokine Receptor Type 4 Fusin CD184 | Breast, colorectal, gastric, glioma, and pancreatic | A chemokine receptor that contributes to HIV infection and triggers activation of several signaling pathways that supports cell proliferation, migration, and survival | |
EpCAM | Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule CD326 | Breast, colon, HNSCC, lung, pancreatic and liver | Homotypic cell adhesion Epithelial mesenchymal transition | |
LgR5 | Leucine Rich Repeat Containing G Protein-Coupled Receptor 5 G-Protein Coupled Receptor 49 (GPR49) G-Protein Coupled Receptor 67 (GPR67) | Intestinal, colorectal, cervical, hepatocellular, pancreatic and glioblastoma | A member of the WNT signaling pathway | |
Intracellular markers | Â | Â | Â | Â |
ALDH | Aldehyde dehydrogenase | Breast, ovarian, brain, bone, prostate, colorectal, lung, cervical, renal, endometrial, pancreatic, esophageal, hepatobiliary and melanoma | A polymorphic enzyme that oxidates aldehydes to carboxylic acids | [362] |
BMI-1 | B Lymphoma Mo-Mlv Insertion Region 1 Homolog Polycomb Group RING Finger Protein 4 (PCGF4) RING Finger Protein 51 (RNF51) | Oral, esophageal, gastric, thyroid, prostate, pancreatic, hepatocellular, neuronal, colorectal, lung and breast | Negatively regulating p16INK4a and p14ARF/p19ARF expression at the transcriptional level Inhibiting E-cadherin expression | [363] |
Musashi-1/2 | RNA-Binding Protein Musashi Homolog 1/2 | Breast, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, hepatocellular and lung | RNA-binding protein involved in post-transcriptional mRNA editing | [364] |
Nanog | Nanog Homeobox | Breast, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, hepatocellular, lung, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate | A transcription factor that maintains pluripotency of stem cells | [136] |
OCT4 | Octamer-Binding Transcription Factor-4 POU Domain, Class 5, Transcription Factor 1 (POU5F1) | Breast, endometrial, gastric, glioma and HNSCC | A homeodomain transcription factor of the POU family that maintains self-renewal of stem cells | [365] |
SOX2 | Sex determining region Y-box 2 | Bladder, breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, glioma, hepatocellular, HNSCC, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, ovarian, renal cell carcinoma and sarcoma | A transcription factor that maintains self-renewal and pluripotency of stem cells |