Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.
Trends Cancer. 2021 Jun;7(6):511-524. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2020.12.001. Epub 2020 Dec 25.
Despite the dramatic advances in cancer research over the decades, effective therapeutic strategies are still urgently needed. Increasing evidence indicates that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a multifunctional signaling modulator, promotes cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis by regulating cell proliferation, migration, invasion, drug resistance, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). CTGF is also involved in the tumor microenvironment in most of the nodes, including angiogenesis, inflammation, and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) activation. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the expression of CTGF and its regulation, oncogenic role, clinical relevance, targeting strategies, and therapeutic agents. Herein, we propose that CTGF is a promising cancer therapeutic target that could potentially improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients.
尽管几十年来癌症研究取得了显著进展，但仍迫切需要有效的治疗策略。越来越多的证据表明，结缔组织生长因子（CTGF）作为一种多功能信号调节剂，通过调节细胞增殖、迁移、侵袭、耐药性和上皮-间充质转化（EMT），促进癌症的发生、进展和转移。CTGF 还参与了肿瘤微环境中的大多数节点，包括血管生成、炎症和癌相关成纤维细胞（CAF）激活。在这篇综述中，我们全面讨论了 CTGF 的表达及其调控、致癌作用、临床相关性、靶向策略和治疗剂。在此，我们提出 CTGF 是一种很有前途的癌症治疗靶点，有可能改善癌症患者的临床结局。
