Strizzi Luigi, Postovit Lynne-Marie, Margaryan Naira V, Seftor Elisabeth A, Abbott Daniel E, Seftor Richard E B, Salomon David S, Hendrix Mary J C
Children's Memorial Research Center, Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
Breast Dis. 2008;29:91-103. doi: 10.3233/bd-2008-29110.
Breast carcinoma cells and embryonic progenitors similarly implement stem cell-associated signaling pathways to sustain continued growth and plasticity. Indeed, recent studies have implicated signaling pathways, including those associated with the Notch, and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-beta) superfamilies, as instrumental to both embryological development and breast cancer progression. In particular, Nodal, an embryonic morphogen belonging to the TGF-beta superfamily, and its co-receptor, Cripto-1, are requisite to both embryogenesis and mammary gland maturation. Moreover, these developmental proteins have been shown to promote breast cancer progression. Here, we review the role of Nodal and its co-receptor Cripto-1 during development and we describe how this signaling pathway may be involved in breast cancer tumorigenesis. Moreover, we emphasize the potential utility of this signaling pathway as a novel target for the treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer.
乳腺癌细胞和胚胎祖细胞同样会利用与干细胞相关的信号通路来维持持续生长和可塑性。事实上，最近的研究表明，包括与Notch和转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）超家族相关的信号通路，对胚胎发育和乳腺癌进展都至关重要。特别是，属于TGF-β超家族的胚胎形态发生素Nodal及其共受体Cripto-1，对胚胎发生和乳腺成熟都是必需的。此外，这些发育蛋白已被证明可促进乳腺癌进展。在此，我们综述了Nodal及其共受体Cripto-1在发育过程中的作用，并描述了该信号通路可能如何参与乳腺癌的肿瘤发生。此外，我们强调了该信号通路作为乳腺癌治疗和诊断新靶点的潜在效用。
