A Comparison of Cancer Stem Cell Markers and Non-classical MHC Antigens in Colorectal Tumor and Non-Cancerous Tissues

Publication date: Available online 26 September 2016
Source:Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
Author(s): Rabia Bilge Özgül Özdemir, Alper Tunga Özdemir, Fatih Oltulu, Kamile Kurt, Gürkan Yiğittürk, Cengiz Kırmaz
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most fatal types of cancer in both women and men, and, unfortunately, patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with poor prognosis, metastasis and recurrence, as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance. Therefore, different treatment alternatives are needed to facilitate the elimination of CSCs. One such approach is immunotherapy; however, tumor cells can evade immune cells by alteration of the expression patterns of human leukocyte antigens (HLA). In this study, we immunohistochemically investigated the expression patterns of CSC-specific markers CD44, CD133, Nanog, and Oct3/4, and immunosuppressive molecules HLA-G and E in advanced CRC tumor tissues and non-cancerous colon biopsies. We found significantly increased CD44, Nanog, Oct3/4, HLA-G, and HLA-E expression in the CRC tumor tissues, compared to the non-cancerous colon biopsies. These findings suggest that some tumor cells may be CSC-like, and that the increased expression of HLA-G and HLA-E may be considered as an immune-evasive adaptation. Therefore, the non-classical major histocompatibility complex class Ib antigens HLA-G and HLA-E may be potential targets in the elimination of CRC-CSCs. However, more detailed studies are required to support our findings.



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