Abstract

Cancer Stem Cell Antigen's Increasing Role in Leukemia and Other Diseases

Author(s): Anshika Singh

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is one of 19 ALDH enzymes expressed in humans and is important for the production of the hormone receptor ligand retinoic acid (RA). We are investigating her role of ALDH1A3 in normal physiology, its identification as a marker for cancer stem cells, and its mechanism of action in cancer and other diseases. ALDH1A3, which is often overexpressed in cancer, promotes tumor growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance by altering gene expression, cell signaling pathways, and glucose metabolism. Elevated ALDH1A3 levels in cancer are caused by gene amplification, epigenetic modifications, post-transcriptional regulation and post-translational modifications. Finally, we confirm the potential to target ALDH1A3 using both general ALDH inhibitors and small molecules specifically designed to inhibit ALDH1A3 activity.