McDonald Paul C, Dedhar Shoukat
Department of Integrative Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jun 30;14(13):3209. doi: 10.3390/cancers14133209.
Cancer metastasis is a major barrier to the long-term survival of cancer patients. In cancer cells, integrin engagement downstream of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions results in the recruitment of cytoskeletal and signaling molecules to form multi-protein complexes to promote processes critical for metastasis. One of the major functional components of these complexes is Integrin Linked Kinase (ILK). Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the importance of ILK as a signaling effector in processes linked to tumor progression and metastasis. New mechanistic insights as to the role of ILK in cellular plasticity, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion, including the impact of ILK on the formation of invadopodia, filopodia-like protrusions (FLPs), and Neutrophil Extracellular Trap (NET)-induced motility are highlighted. Recent findings detailing the contribution of ILK to therapeutic resistance and the importance of ILK as a potentially therapeutically tractable vulnerability in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies are discussed. Indeed, pharmacologic inhibition of ILK activity using specific small molecule inhibitors is effective in curtailing the contribution of ILK to these processes, potentially offering a novel therapeutic avenue for inhibiting critical steps in the metastatic cascade leading to reduced drug resistance and increased therapeutic efficacy.
癌症转移是癌症患者长期生存的主要障碍。在癌细胞中,细胞与细胞外基质(ECM)相互作用下游的整合素结合会导致细胞骨架和信号分子的募集,形成多蛋白复合物,以促进对转移至关重要的过程。这些复合物的主要功能成分之一是整合素连接激酶(ILK)。在此,我们讨论了近期在理解ILK作为与肿瘤进展和转移相关过程中的信号效应器的重要性方面取得的进展。重点介绍了关于ILK在细胞可塑性、上皮-间质转化(EMT)、迁移和侵袭中的作用的新机制见解,包括ILK对侵袭性伪足、丝状伪足样突起(FLP)和中性粒细胞胞外陷阱(NET)诱导的运动形成的影响。讨论了详细说明ILK对治疗耐药性的贡献以及ILK作为实体瘤和血液系统恶性肿瘤中潜在可治疗的脆弱性的重要性的最新发现。事实上,使用特定小分子抑制剂对ILK活性进行药理抑制可有效减少ILK对这些过程的贡献,这可能为抑制转移级联反应中的关键步骤提供一种新的治疗途径,从而降低耐药性并提高治疗效果。
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