Expression of stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4) defines spontaneous loss of epithelial phenotype in human solid tumor cells

In conclusion, we introduce SSEA-4 as a novel marker to identify heterogeneous, invasive subpopulations of tumor cells. Moreover, increased cell-surface SSEA-4 expression is associated with the loss of cell–cell interactions and the gain of a migratory phenotype, suggesting an important role of SSEA-4 in cancer invasion by influencing cellular adhesion to the extracellular matrix.

Source: Glycobiology - July 1, 2015 Category: Biology Authors: Sivasubramaniyan, K., Harichandan, A., Schilbach, K., Mack, A. F., Bedke, J., Stenzl, A., Kanz, L., Niederfellner, G., Buhring, H.-J. Tags: Cell Biology Source Type: research