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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Jun 26.
Published in final edited form as: J Mol Biomark Diagn. 2012;Suppl 8:6. doi: 10.4172/2155-9929.S8-006

Figure 1. A complex multidirectional relationship between differentiated cancer cells and heterogeneous BCSCs.

Figure 1

Depending on genetic and epigenetic changes, miRNA and gene regulation or microenvironment stimuli, cancer cells are able to shift between stem-like and non-stemlike states. This plasticity contributes to the heterogeneity of BCSCs. The regulatory mechanisms underlying the shift from non-BCSCs to BCSCs also play important roles in maintaining the BCSC pool and its characteristics. The currently used cell surface markers for BCSC identification could be potentially useful clinical biomarkers.