<b>Objective:</b> Cancer stem cell marker CD44 and its variant isoforms (CD44v) may be correlated with tumor growth, metastasis, and chemo-radiotherapy resistance.
Cancer stem cell marker in circulating tumor cells: expression of CD44 variant exon 9 is strongly correlated to treatment refractoriness, recurrence and prognosis of human colorectal cancer.
Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) with high expression of CD44 splice variant (CD44v) have an enhanced capacity for intracellular reduced glutathione synthesis and defense against reactive oxygen species, resulting in resistance to various therapeutic stresses.
CD44-targeted FALI was antiapoptotic in multiple human cancer cell lines, including both Fas signaling type I and II cells, and was also protective against other ligands of the tumor necrosis factor death receptor family.
CD44, a well characterized cellular adhesion molecule involved in several human malignancies, is encoded by a gene located within 200 kb of the 11p12-13 amplification fragments.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1, CD138, is well known to be associated with cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration in various types of malignancies.
CD44 is a multifunctional protein involved in cell adhesion, migration and drug resistance, and is a primary receptor for hyaluronan (HA), a major component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) with a critical role in cell signaling and cell-ECM interactions in cancer.
CD44(+)/CD24(-/low) cancer stem/progenitor cells are more abundant in triple-negative invasive breast carcinoma phenotype and are associated with poor outcome.
CD44 is the transmembrane adhesion receptor for Hyaluronan (HA) and plays a central role in the remodeling and degradation of HA that leads to cell migration, as well as to cancer invasion and metastasis.
CD44 is well known to be one of the cancer stem cell markers and is a cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell-cell interactions, cell adhesion, and cell migration.
CD44 is a promising target for therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and has two defined roles in tumorigenesis: it is a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker and it promotes migration and proliferation through interaction with many signaling molecules.