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Genetic and functional heterogeneity within the tumor-initiating cell compartment of human colon cancer

Antragstellerin Dr. Claudia Ball
Fachliche Zuordnung Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie
Förderung Förderung von 2009 bis 2015
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 101804013
 
Erstellungsjahr 2019

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

During the KFO 227 funding period, we have established and extensively characterized biobanks of patient-derived in vivo and in vitro cancer models and investigated clonal dynamics within the tumorinitiating cell (TIC) compartment in colorectal cancers. By analyzing the contribution of individual genetically marked colorectal TIC to tumor initiation, progression and metastasis formation we demonstrated that distinct types of colorectal TIC with different self-renewal capacity drive long-term progression and metastasis formation in serial xenotransplantation assays. Importantly, we were able to show that a fraction of quiescent TIC exists within established tumors in vivo and is enriched by chemotherapy. These cells can drive disease progression following chemotherapeutic treatment. Moreover, we have conclusively shown that TIC can home to the bone marrow. These bone marrow localized TIC can proliferate actively and are located in direct vicinity of endothelial cells, which may reflect a direct interaction. Such a bone marrow TIC niche interaction may provide a promising target for pharmacologically eradicating disseminated TIC in vivo. Our systematic analysis of genetic subclone contribution in serial xenografts and spheroids has demonstrated that, in CRC, multiple subclones drive long-term tumor formation. Individual subclones can grow out during serial in vitro and in vivo passaging, and within the same patient, the dominating subclones in the xenografts and spheroids can differ. Strikingly, functional differences and genetic-clone diversity are two independent layers of heterogeneity within individual CRC tumors that need to be addressed therapeutically to overcome treatment resistance. Our overall findings gained within the KFO227 provided important novel insights into the biology and clonal dynamics of distinct types of tumor initiating cells in human colorectal cancer. The pronounced phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of CRC TIC has substantial implications for the development and design of future studies targeting tumorigenic CRC cells.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

 
 

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