Less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells may characterize metastasis of colon cancer

Q: Which stem cell markers were analyzed in colon cancer, and how were they measured?

CD44 total (CD44T), CD44 variant (CD44V), and CD133 were quantified at the mRNA level using quantitative PCR.

Q: How did CD44 and CD133 expression differ between primary tumors and noncancerous mucosa?

CD44T and CD44V showed higher expression in primary colon tumors than in noncancerous mucosa, while CD133 was expressed in noncancerous mucosa and decreased in tumors.

Q: Do the marker mRNA levels indicate aggressive phenotypes or metastasis behavior?

Transcript expression of these cancer stem cell markers did not conclude a link to aggressive phenotypes in primary and metastatic tumors; instead it characterized less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells. CD44V and CD133 also decreased in liver metastasis compared with primary tumors.

Sep 24, 2026

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Stem cell marker expression in colorectal cancer is evaluated to clarify whether CD44 and CD133 provide prognostic insight into metastasis. Quantitative PCR assessed CD44 total, CD44 variant, and CD133 mRNA in sixty colon cancer cases, linking transcript levels with clinicopathological parameters. CD44T and CD44V were higher in primary tumors than in noncancerous mucosa, whereas CD133 remained detectable in mucosa and decreased in tumors. CD44V aligned with CD44T, showed sidedness associations, and CD44V/CD44T/CD133 did not relate to aggressive phenotypes, instead reflecting less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages15

Reading Time38 min

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

PLOS ONE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Kaida T, Fujiyama Y, Soeno T, Yokota M, Nakamoto S, Goto T, et al. (2023) Less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells may characterize metastasis of colon cancer. PLoS ONE 18(4): e0277395 . [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal). pone.0277395 Editor: Alvaro Galli, CNR, ITALY Received: April 17, 2022 Accepted: October 26, 2022 Published: April 25, 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Kaida et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the article and its Supporting Information files. Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: Dr. Naitoh reports financial relationship outside the submitted work: grantsand personal fees from Chugai pharm, Taihopharm, Kaken pharm, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Eli Lilly Japan, personal fees from Takeda pharm, Merck, Bayer, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Hiki reports financial relationship outside the submitted work: RESEARCH ARTICLE Less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells may characterize metastasis of colon cancer Takeshi Kaida1,2, Yoshiki Fujiyama1,3, Takafumi Soeno1,4, Mitsuo Yokota1,5, Shuji Nakamoto3, Takuya Goto1,2, Akiko Watanabe1,2, Kota Okuno1,4, Yusuke Nie1,3, Shiori Fujino1,5, Kazuko Yokota2, Hiroki Harada4, Yoko Tanaka5, Toshimichi Tanaka2, Keigo Yokoi2, Ken Kojo2, Hirohisa Miura2, Takahiro Yamanashi2, Takeo Sato2, Jiichiro Sasaki6, Takafumi Sangai5, Naoki Hiki4, Yusuke Kumamoto3, Takeshi Naitoh2, Keishi Yamashita4,7 * 1 Department of Surgery, Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 2 Department of Lower Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 3 Department of General Pediatric and Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 4 Department of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 5 Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 6 Multidisciplinary Cancer Care and Treatment Center, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, 7 Division of Advanced Surgical Oncology, Research and Development Center for New Frontiers, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan * [keishi23@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp](keishi23@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp) Abstract Background CD44 and CD133 are stem cell markers in colorectal cancer (CRC) . CD44 has distinctive isoforms with different oncological properties like total CD44 (CD44T) and variant CD44 (CD44V). Clinical significance of such markers remains elusive. Methods Sixty colon cancer were examined for CD44T/CD44Vand CD133 at mRNA level in a quantitative PCR, and clarified for their association with clinicopathological factors. Results (1) Both CD44Tand CD44V showed higher expression in primary colon tumors than in noncancerous mucosas (p<0.0001), while CD133 was expressed even in non-cancerous mucosa and rather decreased in the tumors (p = 0.048) . (2) CD44V expression was significantly associated with CD44T expression (R = 0.62, p<0.0001), while they were not correlated to CD133 at all in the primary tumors. (3) CD44V/CD44Texpressions were significantly higher in right colon cancer than in left colon cancer (p = 0.035/p = 0.012, respectively), while CD133 expression were not (p = 0.20) . (4) In primary tumors, unexpectedly, CD44V/CD44T/CD133 mRNA expressions were not correlated with aggressive phenotypes, but CD44V/CD44T rather significantly with less aggressive lymph node grants and personal fees from Abbott Japan, EA pharm, Johnson&Johnson

FAQs

Which stem cell markers were analyzed in colon cancer, and how were they measured?

CD44 total (CD44T), CD44 variant (CD44V), and CD133 were quantified at the mRNA level using quantitative PCR.

How did CD44 and CD133 expression differ between primary tumors and noncancerous mucosa?

CD44T and CD44V showed higher expression in primary colon tumors than in noncancerous mucosa, while CD133 was expressed in noncancerous mucosa and decreased in tumors.

Do the marker mRNA levels indicate aggressive phenotypes or metastasis behavior?

Transcript expression of these cancer stem cell markers did not conclude a link to aggressive phenotypes in primary and metastatic tumors; instead it characterized less demand on stem cell marker-positive cancer cells. CD44V and CD133 also decreased in liver metastasis compared with primary tumors.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Himbo