Abstract 1055: Effect of embryonic stem (ES) cell-conditioned microenvironment on the reprogramming of melanoma

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL The cancer micro-environment affects cancer cell proliferation and growth. Embryonic stem (ES)-preconditioned 3-dimensional (3-D) culture of cancer cells induces cancer cell reprogramming and results in a change in cancer cell properties such as differentiation and migration in skin melanoma. However, the mechanism has not yet been clarified. Using the ES-preconditioned 3-D micro-environmental model, we provide evidence showing that the ES micro-environment inhibits proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of SK-MEL-5 and SK-MEL-28 human melanoma cells, which is accompanied by the down-regulation of c-jun and c-fos gene expression. We also found that the ES micro-environment suppresses telomerase activity and thereby induces senescence in SK-MEL-5 and SK-MEL-28 cells. Furthermore, we observed that gremlin, an antagonist of bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4), is secreted from ES cells and plays an important role in cellular senescence. Taken together, these results demonstrated that gremlin is a crucial factor responsible for abrogating cancer properties in the ES-preconditioned 3-D micro-environment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1055. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1055