Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma
Abstract Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a central role in melanoma growth, resistance to treatment, and relapse, however, their dynamic regulatory behavior remains poorly understood. Vibrational spectroscopy offers a unique, label-free approach to investigate cellular heterogeneity at the molecular l...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14018-8 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849344947659997184 |
|---|---|
| author | Bensu Rüya Uslu Berrin Ozdil Enver Tarhan Serdar Özçelik Hüseyin Aktuğ Günnur Güler |
| author_facet | Bensu Rüya Uslu Berrin Ozdil Enver Tarhan Serdar Özçelik Hüseyin Aktuğ Günnur Güler |
| author_sort | Bensu Rüya Uslu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a central role in melanoma growth, resistance to treatment, and relapse, however, their dynamic regulatory behavior remains poorly understood. Vibrational spectroscopy offers a unique, label-free approach to investigate cellular heterogeneity at the molecular level. Here, we explored the biochemical and regulatory dynamics of CSCs identified by using a time-course design, integrating infrared and Raman spectroscopies with cell cycle analysis and immunocytochemistry targeting the checkpoint proteins p16 and p21. CSCs, non-cancer stem cells (NCSCs), and bulk CHL-1 melanoma cells were monitored at 11, 24, 48, and 72 h. CSCs showed a steady S-phase with an early rise in p16 followed by a subsequent increase in p21 expression, indicating a dynamic state of cell cycle checkpoints. In contrast, NCSCs and CHL-1 cells showed more transient p16/p21 expression and CHL-1 exhibited a marked p16 increase at 24 h. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that CSCs exhibited distinct vibrational profiles, predominantly in the nucleic acid-, protein- and lipid-associated regions. These differences were further supported by principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses, which consistently distinguished CSCs from NCSCs. Our findings underline the potential of vibrational spectroscopy to sensitively detect CSC-specific regulatory patterns and support its use in detecting new therapeutic targets in melanoma. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1a3059441a194f8e8a1d5ddeea94c96f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-1a3059441a194f8e8a1d5ddeea94c96f2025-08-20T03:42:33ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-14018-8Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanomaBensu Rüya Uslu0Berrin Ozdil1Enver Tarhan2Serdar Özçelik3Hüseyin Aktuğ4Günnur Güler5Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, İzmir Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, İzmir Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, İzmir Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, İzmir Institute of TechnologyFaculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ege UniversityDepartment of Physics, Faculty of Science, İzmir Institute of TechnologyAbstract Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a central role in melanoma growth, resistance to treatment, and relapse, however, their dynamic regulatory behavior remains poorly understood. Vibrational spectroscopy offers a unique, label-free approach to investigate cellular heterogeneity at the molecular level. Here, we explored the biochemical and regulatory dynamics of CSCs identified by using a time-course design, integrating infrared and Raman spectroscopies with cell cycle analysis and immunocytochemistry targeting the checkpoint proteins p16 and p21. CSCs, non-cancer stem cells (NCSCs), and bulk CHL-1 melanoma cells were monitored at 11, 24, 48, and 72 h. CSCs showed a steady S-phase with an early rise in p16 followed by a subsequent increase in p21 expression, indicating a dynamic state of cell cycle checkpoints. In contrast, NCSCs and CHL-1 cells showed more transient p16/p21 expression and CHL-1 exhibited a marked p16 increase at 24 h. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that CSCs exhibited distinct vibrational profiles, predominantly in the nucleic acid-, protein- and lipid-associated regions. These differences were further supported by principal component and hierarchical clustering analyses, which consistently distinguished CSCs from NCSCs. Our findings underline the potential of vibrational spectroscopy to sensitively detect CSC-specific regulatory patterns and support its use in detecting new therapeutic targets in melanoma.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14018-8Cancer stem cellsMalignant melanomaCell cycleInfrared spectroscopy, raman spectroscopyMultivariate analysis |
| spellingShingle | Bensu Rüya Uslu Berrin Ozdil Enver Tarhan Serdar Özçelik Hüseyin Aktuğ Günnur Güler Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma Scientific Reports Cancer stem cells Malignant melanoma Cell cycle Infrared spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy Multivariate analysis |
| title | Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| title_full | Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| title_fullStr | Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| title_short | Vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| title_sort | vibrational spectroscopy unveils distinct cell cycle features of cancer stem cells in melanoma |
| topic | Cancer stem cells Malignant melanoma Cell cycle Infrared spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy Multivariate analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14018-8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bensuruyauslu vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma AT berrinozdil vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma AT envertarhan vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma AT serdarozcelik vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma AT huseyinaktug vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma AT gunnurguler vibrationalspectroscopyunveilsdistinctcellcyclefeaturesofcancerstemcellsinmelanoma |