摘要
Dear Editor, According to the cancer stem cell （CSC） hypothesis, cancer ceils are organized in a hierarchical manner （Reya et al, 2001）. Indeed, the differentiation state of cancer cells has been linked to their proliferative potential, drug response, and ability to metastasize （Clevers, 2011）. Targeting self- renewing, undifferentiated cancer ceils could therefore be of importance for the success of cancer therapies. A classical case of a tumor composed of undifferenti- ated and differentiated cells is the tumor induced by pluripotent stem cells （PSCs） （Ben-David and Benvenisty, 2011）. We have recently identified several small mole- cules termed pluripotent-specific inhibitors （PluriSIns） that selectively target undif- ferentiated tumorigenic PSCs （Ben-David et aL, 2013）. Several of these compounds, including PluriSIn#1, inhibit the activity of stearoyl-coA desaturase （SCD1） （Ben- David et al, 2013）. SCD1 is an endoplasmic reticulum （ER）-membrane protein that plays a key role in the biosynthesis of the mono-unsaturated fatty acid oleate. This novel metabolic vulnerability is in line with the unique metabolome described in PSCs （Panopoulos et al, 2012）.
