Cell Adhesion Mechanisms in Tumor Dynamics
Summary
Cell adhesion mechanisms underpin the capacity of tumour cells to interact with their surrounding microenvironment, influencing initiation, local invasion and metastatic dissemination. Adhesion receptors such as integrins, cadherins and syndecans anchor cells to the extracellular matrix and to neighbouring cells, while adaptor proteins link these receptors to intracellular signalling cascades and the actin cytoskeleton. Dynamic regulation of adhesion complexes by phosphorylation, mechanical forces and proteolytic remodelling governs cell polarity, motility and survival. In many cancers, altered expression or mutation of adhesion molecules enables tumour cells to detach from primary sites, navigate tissue barriers and colonise distant organs. Beyond providing structural support, adhesion systems engage growth factor receptors and small GTPases to modulate proliferation, resistance to apoptosis and drug sensitivity. Elucidating the molecular choreography of adhesion assemblies offers routes to impede metastatic spread and to develop targeted therapies that restore normal tissue architecture.
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Cell Adhesion Mechanisms in Tumor Dynamics publication trend
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Technical terms
Focal adhesion: Multiprotein complexes that anchor cells to the extracellular matrix and transmit mechanical and chemical signals to the cytoskeleton.
Integrin: A family of transmembrane receptors that mediate cell–matrix adhesion and link extracellular ligands to intracellular signalling.
Extracellular matrix (ECM): A network of proteins and polysaccharides in the intercellular space that provides structural support and biochemical cues to cells.
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT): A process by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal traits, enhancing motility and invasiveness in tumour progression.
Tensin: A family of intracellular scaffold proteins localized at focal adhesions, regulating cytoskeletal dynamics and signal transduction.
References
- The molecular and clinical role of Tensin 1/2/3 in cancer. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2023).
- Immunohistochemical Analysis of the Expression of Adhesion Proteins: TNS1, TNS2 and TNS3 in Correlation with Clinicopathological Parameters in Gastric Cancer. Biomolecules (2021).
- Tensin-4-Dependent MET Stabilization Is Essential for Survival and Proliferation in Carcinoma Cells. Developmental Cell (2014).
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