Macallister Lurcott
Research Mentor: Jacques Nor
Mentor Department: Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics, Dentistry
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 4 (1:00 PM – 1:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 50
Abstract
Patients with salivary gland cancer currently face limited treatment options, and outcomes may improve from cancer stem-cell based therapies. This study examines the potential of targeting cancer stem cells in mucoepidermoid salivary gland pre-clinical models. We hypothesize that by reducing Bmi-1 expression, a marker of cancer stem cells will limit tumor growth in vivo. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma cancer cells (UM-HMC-3B) were transduced with lentiviral shRNA (Control or sh-Bmi-1) to silence Bmi-1 expression. Cells were seeded onto scaffolds, transplanted in SCID mice and tumor growth was evaluated for 0-8 months. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we evaluated the expression of Bmi-1, ALDH1A1, and Keratin-7; markers associated with stemness and epithelial differentiation. Expression was quantitated by computer analysis and digital software. We did not observe statistically significant differences in Bmi-1 expression or in ALDHA1 and Keratin-7 staining intensity. These results suggest that silencing Bmi-1 does not alter expression of a cancer stem cell-associated or a differentiation marker. In conclusion, further investigation is necessary to determine the therapeutic potential of Bmi-1 targeting in salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma.
