Theranostics 2021, Vol. 11, Issue 5 2297 Ivyspring International Publisher Theranostics 2021; 11(5): 2297-2317. doi: 10.7150/thno.51000 Research Paper CCL16 maintains stem cell-like properties in breast cancer by activating CCR2/GSK3β/β-catenin/OCT4 axis Wenzhi Shen1,2,, Xiaoyuan Zhang1, 2, Jiaping Tang3, Zhixin Zhang4, Renle Du5, Dehong Luo6, Xiaoran Liu1, Yong Xia1, Yanping Li1, Shanshan Wang1, Siyuan Yan1, Wancai Yang1, Rong Xiang5, Na Luo3, Yunping Luo7, Jianjun Li2 1. Dept. of Pathology and Institute of Precision Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China. 2. Institute of Breast Research, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China. 3. Dept. of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China. 4. Dept. of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining 272029, China. 5. Dept. of Immunology, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China. 6. The First People’s Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, 563002, China. 7. Dept. of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China. Corresponding author: Wenzhi Shen, Dept. of Pathology and Institute of Precision Medicine & Institute of Breast Research, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China. E-mail:
[email protected] © The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See http://ivyspring.com/terms for full terms and conditions. Received: 2020.07.23; Accepted: 2020.11.25; Published: 2021.01.01 Abstract Rationale: Considerable evidence suggests that breast cancer metastasis and recurrence occur due to emergence of cancer stem cells (CSCs).