Mancini Maria, Toker Alex
Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Nat Rev Cancer. 2009 Nov;9(11):810-20. doi: 10.1038/nrc2735.
The roles of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) transcription factors have been extensively studied in the immune system. However, ubiquitous expression of NFAT isoforms in mammalian tissues has recently been observed, and a role for these transcription factors in human cancer is emerging. Various NFAT isoforms are functional in tumour cells and multiple compartments in the tumour microenvironment, including fibroblasts, endothelial cells and infiltrating immune cells. How do NFAT isoforms regulate the complex interplay between these compartments during carcinoma progression? The answers lie with the multiple functions attributed to NFATs, including cell growth, survival, invasion and angiogenesis. In addition to elucidating the complex role of NFATs in cancer, we face the challenge of targeting this pathway therapeutically.
活化T细胞核因子（NFAT）转录因子在免疫系统中的作用已得到广泛研究。然而，最近观察到NFAT亚型在哺乳动物组织中普遍表达，并且这些转录因子在人类癌症中的作用正在显现。各种NFAT亚型在肿瘤细胞以及肿瘤微环境的多个区室中发挥作用，这些区室包括成纤维细胞、内皮细胞和浸润性免疫细胞。在癌症进展过程中，NFAT亚型如何调节这些区室之间复杂的相互作用？答案在于NFAT的多种功能，包括细胞生长、存活、侵袭和血管生成。除了阐明NFAT在癌症中的复杂作用外，我们还面临着针对该途径进行治疗的挑战。
