LGR5 is required for the maintenance of spheroid-derived colon cancer stem cells

Chen,Xiang; Wei,Bo; Han,Xiaoyan; Zheng,Zongheng; Huang,Jianglong; Liu,Jianpei; Huang,Yong; Wei,Hongbo

doi:10.3892/ijmm.2014.1752

LGR5 is required for the maintenance of spheroid-derived colon cancer stem cells

Authors:
- Xiang Chen
- Bo Wei
- Xiaoyan Han
- Zongheng Zheng
- Jianglong Huang
- Jianpei Liu
- Yong Huang
- Hongbo Wei
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Affiliations: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China, Central Laboratory, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, P.R. China
Published online on: April 24, 2014 https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2014.1752
Pages: 35-42
Copyright: © Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License [CC BY_NC 3.0].

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Abstract

Colon cancer stem cells (CCSCs) are involved in colon cancer and promote tumor progression and recurrence. LGR5, a marker for intestinal stem cells (ISCs), is also considered to serve as a marker for CCSCs. However, the precise function of LGR5 in CCSCs is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that LGR5 was highly expressed in CCSCs-enriched HT29 spheroid cells. Downregulation of LGR5 with small interfering RNA (siRNA) decreased the expression of stem the cell markers CD133 and CD44 in HT29 spheroid cells. In addition, silencing of LGR5 inhibited cell proliferation, secondary tumor sphere formation and induced cell apoptosis, and G0/G1 phase arrest in vitro by modulating Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bax. Knockdown of LGR5 enhanced chemosensitivity and reduced the invasive ability of HT29 spheroid cells. Moreover, LGR5-siRNA suppressed tumorigenicity of HT29 spheroid cells in vivo. The findings suggested that LGR5 plays a vital role in the maintenance of CCSCs and is a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer.

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