Mesenchymal stem cell features of Ewing tumors

Cancer Cell. 2007 May;11(5):421-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2007.02.027.

Abstract

The cellular origin of Ewing tumor (ET), a tumor of bone or soft tissues characterized by specific fusions between EWS and ETS genes, is highly debated. Through gene expression analysis comparing ETs with a variety of normal tissues, we show that the profiles of different EWS-FLI1-silenced Ewing cell lines converge toward that of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Moreover, upon EWS-FLI1 silencing, two different Ewing cell lines can differentiate along the adipogenic lineage when incubated in appropriate differentiation cocktails. In addition, Ewing cells can also differentiate along the osteogenic lineage upon long-term inhibition of EWS-FLI1. These in silico and experimental data strongly suggest that the inhibition of EWS-FLI1 may allow Ewing cells to recover the phenotype of their MSC progenitor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Bone Neoplasms / genetics
  • Bone Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Primers
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / genetics
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / pathology*

Substances

  • DNA Primers

Associated data

  • GEO/GSE7007