Published online Apr 26, 2016. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v8.i4.170
Peer-review started: November 3, 2015
First decision: December 4, 2015
Revised: December 30, 2015
Accepted: February 14, 2016
Article in press: February 16, 2016
Published online: April 26, 2016
Processing time: 168 Days and 6.7 Hours
Carcinogenic transformation of somatic cells resembles nuclear reprogramming toward the generation of pluripotent stem cells. These events share eternal escape from cellular senescence, continuous self-renewal in limited but certain population of cells, and refractoriness to terminal differentiation while maintaining the potential to differentiate into cells of one or multiple lineages. As represented by several oncogenes those appeared to be first keys to pluripotency, carcinogenesis and nuclear reprogramming seem to share a number of core mechanisms. The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor product retinoblastoma (RB) seems to be critically involved in both events in highly complicated manners. However, disentangling such complicated interactions has enabled us to better understand how stem cell strategies are shared by cancer cells. This review covers recent findings on RB functions related to stem cells and stem cell-like behaviors of cancer cells.
Core tip: Carcinogenic transformation of somatic cells resembles nuclear reprogramming toward the generation of pluripotent stem cells. The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor product retinoblastoma (RB) seems to be critically involved in both events in highly complicated manners. This review covers recent findings on RB functions related to stem cells and stem cell-like behaviors of cancer cells.