Human colorectal cancer-derived carcinoma associated fibroblasts promote CD44-mediated adhesion of colorectal cancer cells to endothelial cells by secretion of HGF.
Further mechanistic studies suggest that TRIM29 can activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via up-regulating CD44 expression in colorectal cancer.
An RNA-immunoprecipitation analysis showed Hnrnpll-binding to <i>Cd44</i> pre-mRNAs, and the level of <i>Cd44 variable exon 6</i> (<i>Cd44v6</i>)<i>,</i> a poor prognosis marker of colorectal cancer, was increased by knocking down <i>Hnrnpll</i>.
Targeting of CD44 isoforms containing exon v6 (CD44v6) represents a viable strategy for the therapy and/or early diagnosis of metastatic cancers of the epithelium (e.g. gastric and colorectal cancer).
Most importantly, Lgr5+CD44+EpCAM+ cells exhibited more pronounced CSC-like traits than did any other subpopulation, indicating that Lgr5 combined with CD44 and EpCAM can further improve the stem-like traits of CSCs in colorectal cancer.
Our findings provide rationale for targeting signaling via MET and CD44 during anti-EGF receptor therapy of patients with colorectal cancer or in patients resistant to EGF receptor inhibitors.
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.
In this study, we established a CD44(+) colorectal cancer stem cell line with particular emphasis on its self-renewal capacity, enhanced tumor initiation and drug resistance.
Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the clinical importance of CD44s and CD44v6 and their relevance to EMT in 113 patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer treated by curative resection.