CRIPTO and its signaling partner GRP78 drive the metastatic phenotype in human osteotropic prostate cancer

CRIPTO (CR-1, TDGF1) is a cell surface/secreted oncoprotein actively involved in development and cancer. Here, we report that high expression of CRIPTO correlates with poor survival in stratified risk groups of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. CRIPTO and its signaling partner glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) are highly expressed in PCa metastases and display higher levels in the metastatic ALDHhigh sub-population of PC-3M-Pro4Luc2 PCa cells compared with non-metastatic ALDHlow. Coculture of the osteotropic PC-3M-Pro4Luc2 PCa cells with differentiated primary human osteoblasts induced CRIPTO and GRP78 expression in cancer cells and increases the size of the ALDHhigh sub-population. Additionally, CRIPTO or GRP78 knockdown decreases proliferation, migration, clonogenicity and the size of the metastasis-initiating ALDHhigh sub-population. CRIPTO knockdown reduces the invasion of PC-3M-Pro4Luc2 cells in zebrafish and inhibits bone metastasis in a preclinical mouse model. These results highlight a functional role for CRIPTO and GRP78 in PCa metastasis and suggest that targeting CRIPTO/GRP78 signaling may have significant therapeutic potential.Oncogene advance online publication, 10 April 2017; doi:10.1038/onc.2017.87

Understanding the cancer stem cell

The last 15 years has seen an explosion of interest in the cancer stem cell (CSC). Although it was initially believed that only a rare population of stem cells are able to undergo self-renewing divisions and differentiate to form all populations within a malignancy, a recent work has shown that these cells may not be as rare as thought first, at least in some malignancies. Improved experimental models are beginning to uncover a less rigid structure to CSC biology, in which the concepts of functional plasticity and clonal evolution must be incorporated into the traditional models. Slowly the genetic programmes and biological processes underlying stem cell biology are being elucidated, opening the door to the development of drugs targeting the CSC. The aim of ongoing research to understand CSCs is to develop novel stem cell-directed treatments, which will reduce therapy resistance, relapse and the toxicity associated with current, non-selective agents