Elite model for the generation of induced pluripotent cancer cells (iPCs)

PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e56702. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056702. Epub 2013 Feb 13.

Abstract

The inefficiency of generating induced pluripotent somatic cells (iPS) engendered two contending models, namely the Stochastic model and Elite model. Although the former is more favorable to explain the inherent inefficiencies, it may be fallible to extrapolate the same working model to reprogramming of cancer cells. Indeed, tumor cells are known to be inherently heterogeneous with respect to distinctive characteristics thus providing a suitable platform to test whether the reprogramming process of cancer cells is biased. Here, we report our observations that all randomly picked induced pluripotent cancer cells (iPCs) established previously do not possess mutations known in the parental population. This unanticipated observation is most parsimoniously explained by the Elite model, whereby putative early tumor progenies were selected during induction to pluripotency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cellular Reprogramming / genetics
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15 / genetics
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15 / metabolism
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / genetics
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mice, SCID
  • Models, Genetic*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / genetics
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism

Substances

  • CDKN2B protein, human
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16
  • TP53 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

Associated data

  • GENBANK/JX391994

Grants and funding

Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 grants, R-183-000-259-112 and R-183-000-295-112. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.