The metastatic conversion of a tumor cell involves cell-autonomous changes which alter cellular cross-talk in the tissue environment.
The "chromothripsis" was especially common in osteosarcomas (more than 30%), which was suggested as a critical event in the conversion of a normal cell to a cancerous cell [ 23].
Genomic instability is thought to be an essential part of the conversion of a normal cell to a cancer cell [ 15] Kamel and colleagues demonstrated concurrent HPV positivity and abnormal p53 protein accumulation in 18 out of 47 cases, 14 showing the presence of HPV subtypes 16 and/or 18 DNA[ 1].
Nevertheless, the publication of a series of papers showing rare conversion of a given cell type into another unrelated cell raised the possibility of using any unaffected tissue to create at will new cells to replace a different failing tissue or organ.
Perhaps the distinctive feature in the inflammation that promotes the conversion of a normal cell to a cancerous one is its ability to trigger the onset of fibrosis.
A type of trans-differentiation, is the pre-neoplastic but often reversible physiological conversion of a given cell type into another in the context of tissue injury or chronic inflammation.
Nanotechnology can be utilized to create in vivo-like stem cell microenvironment to determine mechanisms underlying the conversion of an undifferentiated cells into different cell types [89].
However, the question whether this apparent 'enrichment' of stem-like cells is due to selection of cells that occupied the stem-like state or induction (conversion of an individual cell by treatment) is usually not explicitly raised.
In summary, using an in vitro model of colorectal tumour progression, we have demonstrated for the first time that colorectal adenoma cells are more resistant to TRAIL-induced apoptosis than carcinoma cells and that TRAIL sensitivity increases during the conversion of an adenoma cell line to a malignant phenotype.
Amita et al report BMP4 conversion of hESCs to a cell type that expresses a full range of trophoblast markers, has invasive properties and secretes hCG (47).
The oncogenic conversion of a primary epithelial cell to a malignant tumor involves cooperation between multiple signaling pathways, including the activation of growth-promoting signals and the inactivation of tumor-suppressor genes [ 1].
