JAK/STAT pathway interacts with intercellular cell adhesion molecule (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) while prostate cancer stem cells form tumor spheroids

PubMed ID: 26537072Purpose: JAK/STAT is an evolutionarily conserved pathway and very important for second messenger system. This pathway is important in malignant transformation and accumulated evidence indicates that this pathway is involved in tumorigenesis and progression of several cancers. It was possible to assume that activation of JAK/STAT pathway is associated with increase in the expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. In this study we hypothesized that when cells were maintained as spheroids or monolayers, the structure of cancer stem cells (CSCs) could show differentiation when compared with non-CSCs. Methods: DU-145 human prostate cancer cells were cultured using the Ege University molecular embryology laboratory medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Clusters of differentiation 133 (CD133)(+high)/CD44(+high) prostate CSCs were isolated from the DU145 cell line by using BD FACSAria. CD133+/CD44+ CSCs were cultured until confluent with 3% noble agar. The expression of these proteins in CSCs and non-CSCs was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: Different expression profiles were observed in the conventional two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) experimental model system when CSCs and non-CSCs were compared. Human prostate CSCs exhibited intense ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 immunoreaction when compared with non-CSCs. These findings were supported by the fact that VCAM-1 on the surface of cancer cells binds to its counterreceptor, the a4fil integrin (also known as very-late antigen, VLA-4), on metastasis-associated macrophages, triggering VCAM-1-mediated activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase growth and survival pathway in cancer cells. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that changes in JAK/STAT pathway are related with adhesion molecules and could affect cancer progression

Institutional adaptation: Demands for management reform and university administration

Higher education organizations around the world have always faced environmental changes. However, in the past decade altered societal expectations, new public policies, and technological innovations have created an unprecedented set of challenges for universities. Although the borders of universities have opened in new ways for thei