Figure 1

Functional outline of CD133⁺ cells. The number of CD133⁺ cells is maintained in a relative constant in bone marrow, blood, different tissues and even tumors. When cells or tissues are damaged by chemical, physical or mutational causes, CD133⁺ progenitor or stem cells are activated to self-renew, proliferate and differentiate in order to repair the damage. CD133⁺ CSCs or TICs are responsible for tumor metastasis, chemo- or radio-resistance and recurrence. CD133 expression is dynamic and reversible in response to the changes of cell microenvironment. CD133 is involved in diverse cellular processes, including glucose and transferrin uptake, autophagy, membrane-membrane interaction, and matrix metalloproteinase functions. IL-8 pathway, mTOR, PI3K and MAPK pathways are preferably activated in the CD133⁺ cells.