Meharry Medical College, Department of Microbial Pathogenesis & Immune Response; Nashville, TN 37232-6840, USA.
Matrix Biol. 2009 Oct;28(8):445-55. doi: 10.1016/j.matbio.2009.07.008. Epub 2009 Aug 15.
The deadly feature of cancer, metastasis, requires invasion of cells through basement membranes (BM), which normally act as barriers between tissue compartments. In the case of many epithelially-derived cancers (carcinomas), laminin-332 (Ln-332) is a key component of the BM barrier. This review provides a historical examination of Ln-332 from its discovery through identification of its functions in BM and possible role in carcinomas. Current understanding points to distinct roles for the three Ln-332 subunits (alpha3, beta3, gamma2) in cell adhesion, extracellular matrix stability, and cell signaling processes in cancer. Given the large number of studies linking Ln-332 gamma2 subunit with cancer prognosis, particular attention is given to the crucial role of this subunit in cancer invasion and to the unanswered questions in this area.
癌症的致命特征——转移,需要细胞通过基底膜(BM)进行侵袭,而基底膜通常作为组织隔室之间的屏障。在许多上皮来源的癌症(癌)中,层粘连蛋白-332(Ln-332)是 BM 屏障的关键组成部分。本综述通过对 Ln-332 的发现及其在 BM 中的功能以及在癌中的可能作用进行历史考察,提供了对 Ln-332 的全面了解。目前的认识指出,Ln-332 的三个亚基(alpha3、beta3、gamma2)在细胞黏附、细胞外基质稳定性和癌症中的细胞信号转导过程中具有不同的作用。鉴于大量研究将 Ln-332 的 gamma2 亚基与癌症预后联系起来,特别关注该亚基在癌症侵袭中的关键作用以及该领域未解决的问题。