Shenoy Anitha K, Lu Jianrong
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States.
Cancer Lett. 2016 Oct 1;380(2):534-544. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.10.031. Epub 2014 Oct 31.
Metastasis refers to the spread of cancer cells from a primary tumor to distant organs mostly via the bloodstream. During the metastatic process, cancer cells invade blood vessels to enter circulation, and later exit the vasculature at a distant site. Endothelial cells that line blood vessels normally serve as a barrier to the movement of cells into or out of the blood. It is thus critical to understand how metastatic cancer cells overcome the endothelial barrier. Epithelial cancer cells acquire increased motility and invasiveness through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which enables them to move toward vasculature. Cancer cells also express a variety of adhesion molecules that allow them to attach to vascular endothelium. Finally, cancer cells secrete or induce growth factors and cytokines to actively prompt vascular hyperpermeability that compromises endothelial barrier function and facilitates transmigration of cancer cells through the vascular wall. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying metastatic dissemination may help develop new anti-metastasis therapeutics.
转移是指癌细胞主要通过血液循环从原发性肿瘤扩散到远处器官。在转移过程中，癌细胞侵入血管进入循环系统，随后在远处部位离开脉管系统。血管内壁的内皮细胞通常作为细胞进出血液的屏障。因此，了解转移性癌细胞如何克服内皮屏障至关重要。上皮癌细胞通过上皮-间质转化（EMT）获得更高的运动性和侵袭性，这使它们能够向脉管系统移动。癌细胞还表达多种粘附分子，使其能够附着于血管内皮。最后，癌细胞分泌或诱导生长因子和细胞因子，积极促使血管通透性增加，从而损害内皮屏障功能，并促进癌细胞通过血管壁迁移。阐明转移扩散的潜在机制可能有助于开发新的抗转移疗法。
