Our studies also revealed the effect of afatinib on tumor sphere- and colony-forming capabilities of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and decreased IR-induced CSC population in SCC1 and SCC10B cells.
We report that RAD21, a subunit of the cohesin complex, is expressed in epithelial breast cancer cells, whereas its expression is decreased in mesenchymal cancer.
Elevated RAD21 expression tracks with reactivation of L1 expression in human sporadic CRC, implicating cohesin-mediated L1 expression in global genomic instability and gene dysregulation in cancer.
Based on these findings, we conclude that RAD21 is a novel target for developing cancer therapeutics that can potentially enhance the antitumor activity of chemotherapeutic agents acting via induction of DNA damage.
Although no direct evidence for the involvement of hHR21 alterations in the radiosensitivity of the cancer patients examined has been demonstrated, the possibility exists that homozygous mutations or other mutations of this gene could contribute to radiosensitivity.