CD133, one of the markers of cancer stem cells in Hep-2 cell line.

Objective: In recent years, a growing body of evidence has been reported that a tumor clone is organized as a hierarchy that originates from rare stem cells. CD133, a cell surface antigen, was identified as a stem cell maker for human leukemia, brain tumors, and prostate cancer. The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of CD133, a putative marker of cancer stem cells in the Hep-2 cell line, and isolate CD133 positive cells to observe their proliferation and differentiation ability in vitro.

Methods: Immunocytochemical staining technology and flow cytometry were used to detect the expression of the putative stem cell marker CD133 in a Hep-2 cell line. The immunomagnetic beads were applied to purify CD133 positive cells. CD133+ tumor cells were cultured in vitro to observe their ability to proliferate and differentiate.

Results: Only a small proportion (<5%) of cells in the Hep-2 cell line expressed CD133. CD133+ cells possess a marked capacity for self renewal, extensive proliferation, and mutilineal differentiation potency in vitro.

Conclusions: CD133 is one of the markers for cancer stem cells in human laryngeal tumors, the Hep-2 cell line.