Comparing an adult stem cell to a normal differentiated cell, the former has the ability to colonize other tissues and differentiate into different cell types. The hematopoietic stem cells can differentiate into brain cells (neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes), skeletal muscle cells, cardiac muscle cells and liver cells. Brain stem cells can differentiate into blood cells and skeletal muscle cells (National Institute of Health). Thus, bearing in mind that the adult stem cell can colonize different tissues and differentiate into different cell types, it has some form of "innate talent" to be a metastatic cell.
For a differentiated cell to turn cancerous and be capable of metastasis, it has to suffer from mutational hits for tumor suppressors, oncogenes resulting in gain of function, metastatic suppressors resulting in loss of function and inducers of metastasis resulting in gain of function especially in the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (Barrallo-Gimeno and Nieto, 2005).
In recent times, it is possible to culture stem cells in vitro with the various stem cell media available (Biocompare, Nature Protocols). I was thinking of a possible experiment, whereby the adult stem cells are firstly cultured and then exposed to mutagens that are capable of inducing mutational hits on its genome. This is to study the transformation of normal adult stem cells in vitro, which gives us an idea of a sequence of events involving the type of genetic insults experienced by the adult stem cells, giving rise to metastatic cancer cells with stem cell properties, which are capable of colonizing other parts of the body and giving rise to a hetergeneous population of cells.
Corrections: Added italicized words in last sentence of the paragraph
Citations
1) National Institute of Health. http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics4.asp
2) Barrallo-Gimeno A, Nieto MA. The Snail genes as inducers of cell movement and survival: implications in development and cancer. Development. 2005 Jul;132(14):3151-61.
3) Stem Cell Media: Biocompare Buyer's guide. http://www.biocompare.com/jump/2463/Stem-Cell-Media.html
4) Neural stem cell culture. Nature Protocols. http://www.natureprotocols.com/2006/08/25/neural_stem_cell_culture_neuro.php
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