CD74 and CD44 were observed to accumulate in cytoplasmic compartments, suggesting they associate with each other to facilitate tumour growth and metastasis.
Standard and variant isoforms of CD44 are associated with tumor growth, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), although their roles in GBC are unclear.
As a cancer stem cell marker, CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6) has been implicated in carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis in a variety of human carcinomas.
CD44 cleavage, shedding, and elevated levels of soluble CD44 in the serum of patients is a marker of tumor burden and metastasis in several cancers including colon and gastric cancer.
In the current study, we investigated the expression of HMGA2 and the cancer stem cell marker CD44 in 200 GC samples and found that HMGA2 and CD44 were significantly associated with distant metastasis, histological differentiation and poor prognosis in GC patients.
However, trastuzumab treatment caused elevated CD44 expression on tumor cells that metastasized into the lung and liver but did not hinder tumor cell dissemination into the bone marrow.
Taken together, the CD44 targeted liposomal nanoparticles encapsulating anti-IL6R antibody achieved a significant effect to inhibit the metastasis of breast cancer in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer mouse models.
Previous studies indicate that breast cancer cells with high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity and CD44 expression (ALDH<sup>hi</sup>CD44⁺) contribute to metastasis and therapy resistance, and that ALDH1 correlates with poor outcome in breast cancer patients.
U-CH1 cells expressed brachyury, YAP, and laminin adhesion receptors (CD49c, CD49f, CD44), and approximately 15% to 20% of U-CH1 cells featured an α6 integrin-dependent (CD49f) cohesive cluster phenotype, which confers therapeutic resistance and aids metastasis.
Here we demonstrate for the first time that a microRNA component of this region-miR-383-is frequently downregulated in prostate cancer, has a critical role in determining tumor-initiating potential and is involved in prostate cancer metastasis via direct regulation of CD44, a ubiquitous marker of PCa tumor-initiating cells (TICs)/stem cells.
We further demonstrated, for the first time, that the degree of hypoxia-induced CSC-sphere formation (CD44(+) subpopulation) in vitro and of tumor metastasis/dissemination in vivo were markedly suppressed by knocking down Id2 expression.
Furthermore, Asp-UA (80 mg/kg) reduced lung metastasis in a 4T1 murine breast cancer metastasis model more efficiently, which was associated with a decrease in the expression of CD44.
Mixed co-injections of TME-enriched CD44+/CD24low/- and CD44+/β1+ sub-populations generated metastases populated mostly by CD44+/CD24low/--derived cells.
By the Mann-Whitney U test, the Pearson Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, it was demonstrated that the prevalence of ALDH1A3(+)/CD44(+) cells was closely correlated with larger tumor size (p=0.001), nodal metastasis status (p=0.043), more advanced clinical stage (p=0.021) and distant metastasis after initial surgery (p=0.001).