Saving Yellow
Cancer stem cells are a small group of atypical cells capable of dividing rapidly. They are considered the main cause of cancer recurrence even a few years after successful treatment. Migrating with the blood flow and lingering in the tissues, they give rise to metastases. Effective treatment of the tumor will be only if the cancer stem cells are completely destroyed.
An international group of researchers from the Agency for Science Technology and Research (Singapore), Pohang University of Science and Technology (Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea) and other organizations of these two countries have found a way to effectively find cancer stem cells. The fluorescent dye detects cancer stem cells of various types of tumors, including melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain tumors, kidney, ovarian, colon and prostate. The dye does not mark healthy and "ordinary" tumor cells. With a sufficiently high accumulation of fluorescent dye in cancer stem cells, it has a cytotoxic effect and leads to their death.
The experimental substance TiY (tumor-initiating cell dye yellow, tumor-initiating cell probe yellow) recognizes the protein vimentin, which is part of the cytoskeleton of epithelial cells at the time of their transformation into mesenchymal cells. Epithelial cells lining the inner and outer shells of the organs are polar. In other words, the side that is directed towards the tissue is different from the side that is attached to the plate on which the cells are fixed. When an epithelial cell turns into a mesenchymal cell, it loses its polarity, separates from other cells and begins to move freely. This process is important in embryonic development and in wound healing. It also occurs during tumor metastasis. The vimentin accumulating at this moment attracts TiY molecules, it penetrates into the cells, making them visible and vulnerable to researchers.
TiY can become a valuable tool for the visualization and destruction of cancer stem cells, thus preventing the recurrence and metastasis of the tumor.
Article Y.-A. Lee et al. Identification of Tumor Initiating Cells with a Small‐Molecule Fluorescent Probe by Using Vimentin as a Biomarker is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Wiley: Marker for Cancer Stem Cells.