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Detection of Putative Cancer Stem Cells of the Side Population Phenotype in Human Tumor Cell Cultures

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Metastasis Research Protocols

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 878))

Abstract

Human solid tumors and clonal tumor cell lines comprise phenotypically and functionally diverse subsets of cancer cells and also contain stem cell-like cancer cells. Side population (SP) cells, which pump out the fluorescent dye Hoechst 33342 (H33342) via the ABCG2 transporter, define a fraction of adult tissue stem cells in a wide variety of organs. Rare cancer cells with similar H33342 efflux capacity and delimited expression of ABCG2 are present in various types of human tumors, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. These cancer SP cells display several properties attributable to stem cell-like cancer cells and have been implicated in tumor growth, progression, and metastasis. Here we provide a detailed protocol for the detection of putative cancer stem cells of the SP phenotype in human adherent breast cancer cell cultures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany

    Matthias Christgen

  2. Department of Pediatric Hematology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Matthias Ballmaier

  3. Institute of Pathology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Ulrich Lehmann & Hans Kreipe

Authors
  1. Matthias Christgen
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  2. Matthias Ballmaier
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  3. Ulrich Lehmann
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  4. Hans Kreipe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthias Christgen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Molecular and Applied Biosciences, University of Westminster, New Cavendish Street 115, London, W1W 6UW, United Kingdom

    Miriam Dwek

  2. School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP, United Kingdom

    Susan A. Brooks

  3. Inst. Anatomie und Experimentelle, Morphologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg, Martinistr. 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany

    Udo Schumacher

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Christgen, M., Ballmaier, M., Lehmann, U., Kreipe, H. (2012). Detection of Putative Cancer Stem Cells of the Side Population Phenotype in Human Tumor Cell Cultures. In: Dwek, M., Brooks, S., Schumacher, U. (eds) Metastasis Research Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 878. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-854-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-854-2_13

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-853-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-854-2

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