Epigenetic regulation of CD271, a potential cancer stem cell marker associated with chemoresistance and metastatic capacity.

[esophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs ) are considered to be the cause of tumor initiation , metastasis and recurrence . Additionally , CSCs are responsible for the failure of chemotherapy and radiotherapy . The isolation and identification of CSCs is crucial for facilitating the monitoring , therapy or prevention of cancer . We aimed to identify esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC ) stem-like cells , the epigenetic mechanism and identify novel biomarkers for targeting ESCC CSCs . Sixty -three paired ESCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were included in this study . CD 27 1 , which was identified as the CSC marker for melanoma , was assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR ). Using flow cytometry , we isolated CD 27 1 + cells comprising 7 .5 % of cancer cells from the KYSE 70 cell line . Sphere formation and anchorage -independent growth were analyzed in CD 27 1 + and CD 27 1 - cancer cells , respectively . qPCR was used to detect stem-related genes and CCK -8 was performed to analyze the sensitivity to chemotherapy in the two groups . Bisulﬁte genomic sequencing was used to analyze the methylation status . CD 27 1 expression was significantly higher in ESCC tissues than in adjacent non-cancerous tissues . Compared with CD 27 1 - cancer cells , CD 27 1 + cancer cells showed a higher ability of sphere and colony formation , a high level expression of stem-related gene , and resistance to chemotherapy . The expression of CD 27 1 was induced by a demethylation agent . In conclusion , CD 27 1 + ESCC cells possess stem-like properties . CD 27 1 can potentially act as a prognostic marker for ESCC , whose expression is regulated epigenetically .