Aldehyde dehydrogenase its role as a cancer stem cell marker comes down to the specific isoform

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

430 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that enhanced aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is a hallmark of cancer stem cells (CSC) measurable by the aldefluor assay. ALDH1A1, one of 19 ALDH isoforms expressed in humans, was generally believed to be responsible for the ALDH activity of CSCs. More recently, experiments with murine hematopoietic stem cells, murine progenitor pancreatic cells and human breast CSCs indicate that other ALDH isoforms, particularly ALDH1A3, significantly contribute to aldefluor positivity, which may be tissue and cancer specific. Therefore, potential prognostic application involving the use of CSC prevalence in tumor tissue to predict patient outcome requires the identification and quantification of specific ALDH isoforms. Herein we review the suggested roles of ALDH in CSC biology and the immunohistological studies testing the potential application of ALDH isoforms as novel cancer prognostic indicators.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1378-1384
Number of pages7
JournalCell Cycle
Volume10
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 1 2011

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Aldehyde dehydrogenase its role as a cancer stem cell marker comes down to the specific isoform'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this