Ovarian cancer side population defines cells with stem cell-like characteristics and Mullerian Inhibiting Substance responsiveness

The recent identification of "side population" (SP) cells in a number of unrelated human cancers and their normal tissue sources has renewed interest in the hypothesis that cancers may arise from somatic stem/progenitor cells. The high incidence of recurrence attributable to multidrug resistance and the multiple histologic phenotypes indicative of multipotency suggests a stem cell-like etiology of ovarian cancer. Here we identify and characterize SP cells from two distinct genetically engineered mouse ovarian cancer cell lines. Differential efflux of the DNA-binding dye Hoechst 33342 from these cell lines defined a human breast cancer-resistance protein 1-expressing, verapamil-sensitive SP of candidate cancer…

• BW
  Burroughs Wellcome Fund
• OF
  Ocean Foundation
• MG
  Massachusetts General Hospital
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: P50 CA083638, CA083638
• HS
  Harvard Stem Cell Institute