Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Multiomics Analysis of TMEM200A as a Pan-Cancer Biomarker
07:47

Multiomics Analysis of TMEM200A as a Pan-Cancer Biomarker

Published on: September 15, 2023

Tetraspanins in human epithelial malignancies

Hanna M Romanska1, Fedor Berditchevski

  • 1Department of Pathology, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. h.romanska@bham.ac.uk

The Journal of Pathology
|October 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Tetraspanins, cell surface proteins, regulate proliferation and migration. Their altered expression in human malignancies suggests potential as prognostic markers for breast cancer and epithelial tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biology
  • Molecular Oncology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Tetraspanins are transmembrane proteins involved in diverse cellular functions.
  • They form microdomains regulating cell proliferation, migration, and receptor signaling.
  • Aberrant tetraspanin expression is observed in various human cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review tetraspanin expression in breast cancer and other epithelial tumors.
  • To evaluate the potential of tetraspanins as prognostic markers in malignancies.
  • To synthesize current understanding of tetraspanin involvement in carcinogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature review of studies on tetraspanin expression.
  • Analysis of data linking tetraspanin expression to clinical outcomes.
  • Focus on human epithelial cancers, particularly breast cancer.

Main Results:

  • Tetraspanin superfamily proteins are implicated in numerous cellular processes.
  • Expression of tetraspanins and associated proteins is frequently deregulated in human malignancies.
  • Evidence suggests tetraspanins may hold clinical significance in certain cancers.

Conclusions:

  • Tetraspanins play a role in cell proliferation and migration.
  • Deregulated tetraspanin expression is a hallmark of human cancers.
  • Tetraspanins show promise as prognostic markers for breast cancer and epithelial tumors.

More Related Videos

Three-Dimensional (3D) Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay12:19

Three-Dimensional (3D) Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay

Published on: May 1, 2015

Heterotypic Three-dimensional In Vitro Modeling of Stromal-Epithelial Interactions During Ovarian Cancer Initiation and Progression12:42

Heterotypic Three-dimensional In Vitro Modeling of Stromal-Epithelial Interactions During Ovarian Cancer Initiation and Progression

Published on: August 28, 2012

Related Concept Videos

Metastasis02:30

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells from the original site to distant locations in the body. Cancer cells can spread via blood vessels (hematogenous) as well as lymph vessels in the body.
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...