Biostatistics for Bioinformatics and Clinical Translational Research, Institute of Medical Statistics and Biometry, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2011 May;32(5):552-64. doi: 10.1038/aps.2011.20. Epub 2011 Apr 18.
Loss of cell-cell adhesion and cell polarity is commonly observed in tumors of epithelial origin and correlates with their invasion into adjacent tissues and formation of metastases. Growing evidence indicates that loss of cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion may also be important in early stage of cancer. In first part of this review, we delineate the current understanding of the mechanisms that establish and maintain the polarity of epithelial tissues and discuss the involvement of cell polarity and apical junctional complex components in tumor pathogenesis. In the second part we address the clinical significance of cell polarity and junctional complex components in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Finally, we explore their potential use as therapeutic targets in the treatment of cancer.
细胞-细胞黏附丧失和细胞极性丧失通常在源自上皮组织的肿瘤中观察到，并且与它们向相邻组织浸润和形成转移相关。越来越多的证据表明，细胞极性和细胞-细胞黏附丧失在癌症的早期阶段也可能很重要。在这篇综述的第一部分，我们描述了目前对建立和维持上皮组织极性的机制的理解，并讨论了细胞极性和顶端连接复合体成分在肿瘤发病机制中的参与。在第二部分，我们讨论了细胞极性和连接复合体成分在癌症诊断和预后中的临床意义。最后，我们探讨了它们作为癌症治疗的治疗靶点的潜在用途。
