Abstract
We developed a program to align serial pathological tissue sections using projective transformation method for the conpensation of nonlinear deformation in each pathological sections. Cell recognition method is also improved for better cell number counting in the high cell density area. Using these improved programs, the cell proliferation kinetics of normal and cancer tissues are analyzed. The results indicate that the presence of intermittently proliferating cells in the proliferative zones of colorectal crypts and these intermittently proliferating cells are extensively increased in β-catenin accumuated cryps of Apc^<Min/+> mice colorectal mucosa; i.e. the early lesions of colorectal cancer. Intermittent proliferation is a characteristics of tissue stem cells. The number of these cells increases eigher by intermittent symmetric devision of stem cells or by reverse differentiation of serially proliferating cancer cells to intermittently proliferating cancer stem cells. Therefore, these results are thought to indicate that the symmetric intermittent division of stem cells and the reverse differentiation of cancer cells to stem cells are the hallmark of cancer cell proliferation.
