| First Author | Tang XH | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Carcinogenesis | Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 1158-64 |
| PubMed ID | 23358851 | Mgi Jnum | J:196882 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5490159 | Doi | 10.1093/carcin/bgt021 |
| Citation | Tang XH, et al. (2013) Basal stem cells contribute to squamous cell carcinomas in the oral cavity. Carcinogenesis 34(5):1158-64 |
| abstractText | The cells of origin of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) are unknown. We used a cell lineage tracing approach (adult K14-CreER(TAM); ROSA26 mice transiently treated with tamoxifen) to identify and track normal epithelial stem cells (SCs) in mouse tongues by X-gal staining and to determine if these cells become neoplastically transformed by treatment with a carcinogen, 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO). Here, we show that in normal tongue epithelia, X-gal(+) cells formed thin columns throughout the entire epithelium 12 weeks after tamoxifen treatment, indicating that the basal layer contains long-lived SCs that produce progeny by asymmetric division to maintain homeostasis. Carcinogen treatment results in a ~10-fold reduction in the total number of X-gal(+) clonal cell populations and horizontal expansion of X-gal(+) clonal cell columns, a pattern consistent with symmetric division of some SCs. Finally, X-gal(+) SCs are present in papillomas and invasive OCSCCs, and these long-lived X-gal(+) SCs are the cells of origin of these tumors. Moreover, the resulting 4-NQO-induced tumors are multiclonal. These findings provide insights into the identity of the initiating cells of oral cancer. |
