| Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small part of cancer cells inside the tumor that have similar characteristics to
normal stem cells. CSCs stimulate tumor initiation and progression in a variety of cancers. Several transcription
factors such as NANOG, SOX2, and OCT4 maintain the characteristics of CSCs and their upregulation is seen in
many malignancies resulting in increased metastasis, invasion, and recurrence. Among these factors, NANOG
plays an important role in regulating the self-renewal and pluripotency of CSCs and the clinical significance of
NANOG has been suggested as a marker of CSCs in many cancers. The up and down-regulation of NANOG is
associated with several important signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, TGF-β,
Hedgehog, and several microRNAs (miRNAs). In this review, we will investigate the function of NANOG in CSCs
and the molecular mechanism of its regulation by signaling pathways and miRNAs. We will also investigate
targeting NANOG with different techniques, which is a promising treatment strategy for cancer treatment. |