In:
eLife, eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, Vol. 5 ( 2016-03-17)
Abstract:
Soft tissue sarcomas are rare cancers that originate in tissues such as muscles, tendons, cartilage and fat. These cancers are further classified into subtypes based on their appearance. For example, rhabdomyosarcoma cells resemble the cells that normally develop into muscle, while other soft tissue tumors that do not look like a distinct cell type are called undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas. Recent experiments have suggested that although these subtypes appear different, they may both arise from the cells that build muscles. However, this had not been confirmed. Morena et al. investigated whether changing the environment – also known as the “niche” – of muscle stem cells could influence what type of sarcoma developed in mice that were prone to cancer. Normally muscle stem cells in an adult only regenerate injured muscles, and need to receive the correct cues before they divide. Among these cues is a protein called Hepatocyte Growth Factor (or HGF for short), which is produced by cells in the muscle stem cells’ niche. Morena et al. engineered mice so that the production of HGF in the muscles could be switched on or off at will. Mice that were already prone to cancer and produced a lot of HGF tended to develop rhabdomyosarcomas. However, when HGF was turned on in similar mice that also lacked normal muscle stem cells, the resulting sarcomas were predominantly undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas. These data indicate that rhabdomyosarcomas probably originate from muscle stem cells, whereas undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas develop from other cells in the niche. Lastly, Morena et al. studied the sarcomas in their mice in more detail and observed that, similar to what has been found in human rhabdomyosarcomas, individual tumors had different genetic mutations. These differences make it difficult to treat sarcomas with a single anti-cancer drug. However, the new results suggest that a combination of targeted drugs may prove effective in blocking tumor growth and in preventing resistance.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2050-084X
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.001
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.002
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.003
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.004
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.005
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.006
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.007
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.008
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.009
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.010
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.011
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.012
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.013
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.014
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.015
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.016
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.017
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.018
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.019
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.020
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.043
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.12116.044
Language:
English
Publisher:
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Publication Date:
2016
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2687154-3
Bookmarklink