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Updated: May 24, 2026

Lung Tumor Cell Recruitment Assay
04:28

Lung Tumor Cell Recruitment Assay

Published on: February 26, 2019

Tumor cell-derived angiopoietin-like protein ANGPTL2 is a critical driver of metastasis

Motoyoshi Endo1, Masahiro Nakano, Tsuyoshi Kadomatsu

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.

Cancer Research
|February 21, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) drives cancer metastasis by increasing tumor cell motility and invasion. Inhibiting ANGPTL2 may offer a new strategy to combat metastatic disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Metastasis inhibition strategies often fail due to limited mechanistic understanding.
  • Angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) is implicated in inflammatory carcinogenesis in mice but its role in human tumors is unstudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ANGPTL2 in human lung cancer metastasis.
  • To explore the mechanisms by which ANGPTL2 influences tumor cell behavior and metastatic potential.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of ANGPTL2 expression in human lung cancer tissues and correlation with disease-free survival.
  • Investigation of transcription factors regulating ANGPTL2 expression in aggressive tumor cells.
  • In vitro studies assessing the effect of tumor cell-derived ANGPTL2 on cell motility and invasion.
  • Xenograft mouse models to evaluate the impact of ANGPTL2 on metastasis and survival.

Main Results:

  • Elevated ANGPTL2 expression in primary lung tumors correlated with reduced disease-free survival.
  • NFATc, ATF2, and c-Jun transcription factors were found to upregulate ANGPTL2 expression in aggressive tumor cells.
  • Tumor cell-derived ANGPTL2 enhanced in vitro motility and invasion via autocrine/paracrine signaling.
  • In vivo, ANGPTL2 accelerated metastasis and reduced survival, while its attenuation blunted metastasis and improved survival.

Conclusions:

  • Tumor cell-derived ANGPTL2 is a critical driver of metastasis in lung cancer.
  • Targeting ANGPTL2 represents a potential therapeutic strategy to inhibit cancer metastatic progression.

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