Development of gene expression signatures for ovarian cancer stem cells

To understand the differentiation of ovarian cancer stem cells (CSCs), We derived two phenotypes of CSCs and identified the gene expression profiling. The CSCs were derived from Cp70 ovarian cancer cells and cultured in suspension and examined every day for sphere formation. Spheres were then dissociated and passaged at least eight times in 2 months to generate spheres, which are henceforth referred to as SR cells. The surface of SR-I was smooth regardless of the size, whereas SR-II was morula. SR-I could differentiate into multiple-lineage cell types under specific induction conditions. SR-I spheroids could differentiate to SR-II spheroids through epithelial-mesenchymal transition.The self-renewal was slower for SR-I than for SR-II. The larger or equle 2x fold changes between SR-1 and SR-2.