Carcinogenesis driven by bone marrow-derived stem cells.

The overall mechanism of bone marrow-derived stem cell (BMDC) trans-differentiation seems to be simple: BMDCs trans-differentiate as referred to the blueprint, which is given by the tissue itself. Thereby, the blueprint can be the local tissue micro-environment (defined by the tissue-specific cytokine, chemokine, adhesion molecule pattern, etc.), it can be a single cell (cell fusion), or it can be a combination of both. In fact stem cell trans-differentiation is a complex not yet fully understood process. In between the start- and stop-points of transdifferentiation several gene reprogramming steps have to occur in a sequential step-by-step manner, for which a defined set of instructions is a prerequisite to ensure an accurate transdifferentiation. However, a recent study indicated that the ability of BMDCs - to adopt tissue function by reading its blueprint - seems to be a double-edged sword since BMDCs that have received a faulty blueprint, provided by chronically inflamed tissue, trans-differentiated into a neoplastic phenoytpe. Here, we review the importance of an accurate blueprint for BMDC trans-differentiation and discuss a model showing that BMDCs might contribute to overall tumor development due to recruitment to tumor tissue.