Acquisition of Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Osteosarcoma Cells by Defined Factors

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are proposed to be unique subsets of clones within a tumor, attributed with tumor progression, resistance to chemotherapy, and metastases. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating the acquisition and maintenance of CSC properties in cancers, especially in rare cancers, such as osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we generated OS cells with CSC properties following transduction of defined factors. This method enabled us to obtain abundant OS CSC material. The results of our study could facilitate a better understanding of the mechanisms of OS progression, and aid in the development of new therapies targeting CSCs in patients with OS. We used microarray analysis to identify changes in the expression of genes between the different cell groups.