
Kristian Pietras
Research team manager

Roles of TGF-β signals in tumor microenvironment via regulation of the formation and plasticity of vascular system
Author
Summary, in English
Tumor cells evolve in tumor microenvironment composed of multiple cell types. Among these, endothelial cells (ECs) are the major players in tumor angiogenesis, which is a driver of tumor progression and metastasis. Increasing evidence suggests that ECs also contribute to tumor progression and metastasis as they modify their phenotypes to differentiate into mesenchymal cells through a process known as endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). This plasticity of ECs is mediated by various cytokines, including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and modulated by other stimuli depending on the cellular contexts. Recent lines of evidence have shown that EndoMT is involved in various steps of tumor progression, including tumor angiogenesis, intravasation and extravasation of cancer cells, formation of cancer-associated fibroblasts, and cancer therapy resistance. In this review, we summarize current updates on EndoMT, highlight the roles of EndoMT in tumor progression and metastasis, and underline targeting EndoMT as a potential therapeutic strategy.
Department/s
- LUCC: Lund University Cancer Centre
- Division of Translational Cancer Research
- Experimental oncology
Publishing year
2023
Language
English
Pages
130-138
Publication/Series
Seminars in Cancer Biology
Volume
92
Links
Document type
Journal article review
Publisher
Academic Press
Topic
- Cancer and Oncology
Keywords
- Cancer therapy resistance
- EMT
- EndoMT
- Metastasis
- TGF-β
- Tumor angiogenesis
- Tumor microenvironment
Status
Published
Research group
- Experimental oncology
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1044-579X