Semaphorin signaling in cancer cells and in cells of the tumor microenvironment - Two sides of a coin

Lorena Capparuccia, Luca Tamagnone*

*Autore corrispondente per questo lavoro

Risultato della ricerca: Contributo in rivistaArticolo in rivista

146 Citazioni (Scopus)

Abstract

Semaphorins are a large family of secreted and membrane-bound molecules that were initially implicated in the development of the nervous system and in axon guidance. More recently, they have been found to regulate cell adhesion and motility, angiogenesis, immune responses, and tumor progression. Semaphorin receptors, the neuropilins and the plexins, are expressed by a wide variety of cell types, including endothelial cells, bone-marrow-derived cells and cancer cells. Interestingly, a growing body of evidence indicates that semaphorins also have an important role in cancer. It is now known that cancer progression, invasion and metastasis involve not only genetic changes in the tumor cells but also crosstalk between tumor cells and their surrounding non-tumor cells. Through the recruitment of endothelial cells, leukocytes, pericytes and fibroblasts, and the local release of growth factors and cytokines, the tumor microenvironment can mediate tumorcell survival, tumor proliferation and regulation of the immune response. Moreover, by conferring cancer cells with an enhanced ability to migrate and invade adjacent tissues, extracellular regulatory signals can play a major role in the metastatic process. In this Commentary, we focus on the emerging role of semaphorins in mediating the crosstalk between tumor cells and multiple stromal cell types in the surrounding microenvironment.
Lingua originaleEnglish
pagine (da-a)1723-1736
Numero di pagine14
RivistaJournal of Cell Science
Volume122
DOI
Stato di pubblicazionePubblicato - 2009

Keywords

  • Cell Biology
  • Plexins
  • Semaphorins
  • Tumor
  • Tumor microenvironment

Fingerprint

Entra nei temi di ricerca di 'Semaphorin signaling in cancer cells and in cells of the tumor microenvironment - Two sides of a coin'. Insieme formano una fingerprint unica.

Cita questo