MUC1 promotes cancer stemness and predicts poor prognosis in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common primary bone malignancy. Combining chemotherapy and surgical treatment significantly improved clinical outcomes for osteosarcoma patients. Osteosarcoma stem cells (OSCs) are often more malignant than differentiated cancer cells and are a key determinant of responses to chemo-therapy and radiation therapy, therefore, the removal of OSCs could be an effective therapeutic strategy. Myxoprotein 1 (MUC1) is aberrantly overexpressed in many human cancers and it promotes cancer stemness through activation of pluripotency networks. In this study, we observed elevated MUC1 in osteosarcoma and a depressed prognosis in patients with high MUC1 expression profiles. Our observations also revealed that MUC1 promoted OS stemness and tumor metastasis both in vivo and in vitro. These data led us to hypothesize that MUC1 may be a therapeutic target for patients with OS.