The TLR2 pathway is required for self-renewal of mammary cancer initiating cells

In the past few years, mammary cancer initiating cells (CICs) have been identified in mouse and human as a subpopulation of tumor cells that selectively posses tumor initiation and self-renewal capacity and the ability to give rise to bulk populations of non-tumorigenic cancer cells progeny through differentiation. They could also be responsible for tumor progression, metastasis, resistance to therapy and recurrence. Thus, the understanding of the pathways regulating CIC self-renewal, differentiation and tumorigenicity represents an important task in the development of effective anticancer therapies.

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Conti L, Lanzardo S, Arigoni M, Antonazzo R, Radaelli E, Cantarella D, Calogero RA, Cavallo F