CD133, originally classified as a neural stem cell marker, could be used for enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the current study, we analyzed the immunophenotypic characteristics of cancer cell lines derived from brain tumor lesions of 5 meni...
CD133, originally classified as a neural stem cell marker, could be used for enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs). In the current study, we analyzed the immunophenotypic characteristics of cancer cell lines derived from brain tumor lesions of 5 meningioma patients. Interestingly, tumor spheres only generated from the specimen of high-grade meningioma cell line (atypical meningioma cell line, WHO grade II), whereas there was no sphere formation in typical meningioma cell line (WHO grade I). The self-renewing capacity of these tumor sphere was assayed by dissociation of primary tumor spheres, and plating of single cells and maintained in the conditional medium. These single cells produced secondary sphere formation after another 7 days, indicating that these meningioma cell lines in spheres were capable of self-renewal and proliferation. Using flow cytometry, we observed the pattern of expression of dual markers CD44/CD133 in atypical meningioma cell line. The cytometry dot plot of CD133 expression in atypical meningioma cells with about 20.84% CD133− (gate Q4) and 79.15% CD133+ cells (gate Q2) before sorting. The CD44+CD133+ subpopulations showed stem cell properties, including extensive proliferation, instead of their CD44+CD- 133- counterparts. A primary culture of brain cancer cells and isolation of CD133+ CSCs might be used as a patient-specific, biology-driven tool to predict the outcome at diagnosis and to study the mechanism of the brain tumor.