Human colorectal CD24⁺ cancer stem cells are susceptible to epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Conventional cancer chemotherapy preferentially destroys non-stem cancer cells within a tumor, and a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is more resistant and survives, leading to relapses and metastasis. Howeve, recent studies suggest that CD24 and susceptibility to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can serve as markers of CSCs. We report that CD24⁺ cells are susceptible to induction of EMT, a phenotype important for cancer metastasis. We studied the responsiveness of CSC markers to TGF-β, an effective EMT inducer. The data on CD24 demonstrated that CD24⁺ cells are susceptible to EMT, a phenotype important for cancer metastasis in two colorectal cancer cell lines, the CaR-1 and CCK81. CD24⁺ cells expressed Notch 1 in response to exposure to TGF-β in culture and showed higher tumorigenic activity compared to controls. This evidence shows that CD24⁺ cells are susceptible to EMT induction and to cancer progression and is indicative of the candidacy of CD24 as a therapeutic target in CSC.