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CANCER STEM CELLS AND

ONCOLOGY RESEARCH

International Conference on

Journal of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics

Volume 3

Maria Pik Wong et al., J Med Oncl Ther 2018, Volume 3

NFATc2-SOX2 COUPLING SUPPORTS

CANCER STEM CELLS AND MEDIATES

DRUG RESISTANCE OF LUNG

ADENOCARCINOMA

Maria Pik Wong, Zhijie Xiao, Judy Wai-Ping Yam, Jing Liu,

Siqi Wang

and

Vicky Pui-Chi Tin

The University of Hong Kong, China

ancer stem cells (CSC) are dynamic cancer cell subsets that display

enhanced tumor functions and resilience to treatment but the

mechanism of CSC induction or maintenance in human lung cancer

is not fully understood. Calcium signaling integrates exogenous and

endogenous stress stimuli leading to cellular responses that overlap

with cancer functions. We investigated the role and mechanisms of the

calcium pathway transcription factor NFATc2 in lung CSC, and found

NFATc2 enhanced CSC phenotypes including tumorspheres, motility,

tumorigenesis, as well as

in vitro

and

in vivo

responses of lung cancer

cells to chemotherapy and targeted therapy. In human lung cancers,

high NFATc2 expression predicted poor tumor differentiation and

adverse patient survivals. Since pluripotency factors can modulate

widespread transcriptomic changes through epigenetic reprograming, we

investigated their candidacy as mediators of NFATc2 on CSC regulation.

We found NFATc2 transactivated SOX2 through a novel 3’ enhancer locus,

while inhibiting SOX2 in cancer cells that overexpressed NFATc2 led to

suppressed CSC functions. Targeting NFATc2-SOX2 coupling provides a

novel approach for the long term treatment of lung cancer through TIC

elimination.

Maria Pik Wong is currently working as a profes-

sor at the Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing

Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong

Kong, Hong Kong SAR China.

mwpik@hku.hk

BIOGRAPHY