Uhm J H, Gladson C L, Rao J S
Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX 77030, USA.
Front Biosci. 1999 Feb 15;4:D188-99. doi: 10.2741/uhm.
Integrins are cell surface receptors that mediate the physical and functional interactions between a cell and its surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Expressed as heterodimers, the specific alpha or beta chains that constitute the integrin receptor determine the repertoire of ECM proteins to which a specific integrin may bind (table 1). While classically, the role ascribed to integrins has been that of anchoring cells to the ECM, the more contemporary spectrum of integrin function greatly exceeds that of mere cell adhesion. Recent reports have demonstrated that the interaction between the ECM and cell surface integrins leads to intracellular signaling events that affect cell migration, proliferation, and survival, which in the context of neoplastic cells, can translate directly into the malignant phenotype (1). Indeed, the role of specific integrins in tumorigenesis has been demonstrated in numerous cancer types (table 2). In primary tumors of the nervous system, the contribution of integrins to the malignant phenotype of gliomas has been an area of significant attention and research in numerous laboratories, including that of ours. As illustrated in table 3, several integrins have been identified as being of key importance in glioma biology. In this article, we review the current knowledge of how these integrins influence the malignant characteristics of gliomas and, as such, how these cell surface receptors may thus represent potential targets in the design of future therapeutics for patients afflicted with gliomas.
整合素是细胞表面受体，介导细胞与其周围细胞外基质（ECM）之间的物理和功能相互作用。整合素以异二聚体形式表达，构成整合素受体的特定α或β链决定了特定整合素可能结合的ECM蛋白种类（表1）。传统上，整合素的作用一直被认为是将细胞锚定到ECM上，而整合素功能的现代范畴远远超出了单纯的细胞黏附作用。最近的报告表明，ECM与细胞表面整合素之间的相互作用会引发细胞内信号事件，影响细胞迁移、增殖和存活，在肿瘤细胞的背景下，这可直接转化为恶性表型（1）。事实上，特定整合素在肿瘤发生中的作用已在多种癌症类型中得到证实（表2）。在神经系统原发性肿瘤中，整合素对胶质瘤恶性表型的作用一直是众多实验室（包括我们实验室）关注和研究的重要领域。如表3所示，几种整合素已被确定在胶质瘤生物学中具有关键重要性。在本文中，我们综述了目前关于这些整合素如何影响胶质瘤恶性特征的知识，以及这些细胞表面受体如何因此可能成为未来胶质瘤患者治疗设计中的潜在靶点。
