The in-vitro spheroid culture induces a more highly differentiated but tumorigenic population from melanoma cell lines

• DOI: 10.1097/cmr.0b013e32836314e3
• Publication Date: 2013-06-07T11:07:30Z
• Authors: Jing Mo; Baocun Sun; Xiulan Zhao; Qiang Gu; Xueyi Dong; Zhiyong Liu; Yuemei Ma; Nan Zhao; Yanrong Liu; Jiadong Chi; Ran Sun
• Keywords: Stem cell marker

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in various malignancies, and different properties examined to characterize CSCs: tumorigenicity immunocompromised mice, cell surface markers, label-retaining properties, proliferation as nonadherent spheres. This study explored the consistency efficiency among these methods. Among melanoma lines (A375, A875, MUM-2b, MUM-2c), only A375 MUM-2c grew spheres continuously propagated a defined serum-free medium vitro. Flow cytometry immunofluorescence analysis indicated that sphere-derived contained smaller proportion of expressing candidate markers such ABCB5, CD133, CD20 CD271, larger melanocytic differentiation HMB45 S100 protein, compared with adherent cells. Surprisingly, more highly differentiated exhibited increased tumorigenic potential vivo, by shorter tumor incubation (A375) number required initiate formation (A375 MUM-2c) those parental Despite similarity histopathological characteristics, expression profile xenografts derived from phenotype respect or detected immunohistochemical analysis. Therefore, sphere cultures may not be preferred surrogate in-vitro method for enriching according but favorable condition activating CSCs.