RESUMEN
Objective: Cutaneous melanoma is the most hazardous malignancy of skin cancer with a high mortality rate. It has been reported that cancer stem cells [CSCs] are responsible for malignancy in most of cancers including melanoma. The aim of this study is to compare two common methods for melanoma stem cell enriching; isolating based on the CD133 cell surface marker and spheroid cell culture
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, melanoma stem cells were enriched by fluorescence activated cell sorting [FACS] based on the CD133 protein expression and spheroid culture of D10 melanoma cell line,. To determine stemness features, the mRNA expression analysis of ABCG2, c-MYC, NESTIN, OCT4-A and -B genes as well as colony and spheroid formation assays were utilized in unsorted CD133+, CD133- and spheroid cells. Significant differences of the two experimental groups were compared using student's t tests and a two-tailed value of P<0.05 was statistically considered as a significant threshold
Results: Our results demonstrated that spheroid cells had more colony and spheroid forming ability, rather than CD133+ cells and the other groups. Moreover, melanospheres expressed higher mRNA expression level of ABCG2, c-MYC, NESTIN and OCT4-A compared to other groups [P<0.05]
Conclusion: Although CD133+ derived melanoma cells represented stemness features, our findings demonstrated that spheroid culture could be more effective method to enrich melanoma stem cells