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Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s. (4) Stem cells are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. A consensus panel convened by the American Association of Cancer Research has defined a Cancer Stem Cells as "a cell within a tumor that possesses the capacity to self-renew and to cause the heterogeneous lineages of cancer cells that comprise the tumor." Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the PTEN gene. Mutations of PTEN gene are a step in the development of many cancers.

Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. Stem cells (center ones) can develop into any cell type. All stem cells are unspecialized (undifferentiated) cells that are characteristically of the same family type (lineage). Stem cells contribute to the body's ability to renew and repair its tissues.

Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture.

The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are:

Embryonic stem cells

Adult stem cells

Embryonic stem cells that are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues.

Adult stem cells that are found in adult tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are cancer cells (found within tumors or hematological cancers) that possess characteristics associated with normal stem cells, specifically the ability to give rise to all cell types found in a particular cancer sample. CSCs may generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. The efficacy of cancer treatments is, in the initial stages of testing, often measured by the ablation fraction of tumor mass (fractional kill). The theory suggests that conventional chemotherapies kill differentiated or differentiating cells, which form the bulk of the tumor but are unable to generate new cells.

The PTEN gene provides instructions for making a protein that is found in almost all tissues in the body. The PTEN protein modifies other proteins and fats (lipids) by removing phosphate groups, which consist of three oxygen atoms and one phosphorus atom. Based on this activity, the PTEN protein is a type of enzyme called a phosphatase.

The PTEN enzyme acts as part of a chemical pathway that signals cells to stop dividing and triggers cells to undergo a form of programmed cell death called apoptosis. Evidence also suggests that the PTEN enzyme helps:
Control cell movement (migration) The sticking (adhesion) of cells to surrounding tissues The formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis)

Among the major intracellular signaling pathways, WNT, SHH, and NOTCH are known to be important in regulating normal stem cell activities. It has become clear recently that PTEN is also critical for stem cell maintenance and that PTEN loss can cause the development of cancer stem cells.

Stem cells (center ones) can develop into any cell type. They are valuable as research tools and might, in the future, be used to treat a wide range of diseases.(6) PTEN is also critical for stem cell maintenance and that PTEN loss can cause the development of cancer stem cells and ultimately tumorigenesis.(3)

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6. 7.

Stem Cells, Cancer, and Cancer Stem Cells. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11689955 Phosphatase and tensin homolog. Available at: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/PTEN PTEN, Stem Cells, and Cancer Stem Cells. Available at: http://www.jbc.org/content/284/18/11755.full What are Stem Cells? Available at: http://www.newsmedical.net/health/What-are-Stem-Cells.aspx Are Stem Cells Involved in Cancer? Available at: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:sa96Zp390EJ:stemcells.nih.gov/info/2006report/2006chapter9.htm+stem +cell+and+cancer&cd=4&hl=id&ct=clnk&gl=id&source=www.google.c o.id Stem Cells Definition. Available at: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10597 PTEN, Stem Cells, and Cancer Stem Cells. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19117948