Platt Jeffrey L, Zhou Xiaofeng, Lefferts Adam R, Cascalho Marilia
Departments of Surgery and of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Michigan, A520B Medical Sciences Research Building I, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5656, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Jul 13;17(7):1118. doi: 10.3390/ijms17071118.
Cell fusion occurs in development and in physiology and rarely in those settings is it associated with malignancy. However, deliberate fusion of cells and possibly untoward fusion of cells not suitably poised can eventuate in aneuploidy, DNA damage and malignant transformation. How often cell fusion may initiate malignancy is unknown. However, cell fusion could explain the high frequency of cancers in tissues with low underlying rates of cell proliferation and mutation. On the other hand, cell fusion might also engage innate and adaptive immune surveillance, thus helping to eliminate or retard malignancies. Here we consider whether and how cell fusion might weigh on the overall burden of cancer in modern societies.
细胞融合发生在发育和生理过程中，在这些情况下很少与恶性肿瘤相关。然而，细胞的故意融合以及可能不合适的细胞异常融合可能导致非整倍体、DNA损伤和恶性转化。细胞融合引发恶性肿瘤的频率尚不清楚。然而，细胞融合可以解释细胞增殖和突变率较低的组织中癌症的高发病率。另一方面，细胞融合也可能激活先天性和适应性免疫监视，从而有助于消除或延缓恶性肿瘤。在这里，我们探讨细胞融合是否以及如何影响现代社会中癌症的总体负担。
