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Updated: May 1, 2026

Engineering Artificial Factors to Specifically Manipulate Alternative Splicing in Human Cells
Published on: April 26, 2017
Molecular mechanisms underlying the divergent roles of SPARC in human carcinogenesis
Ganji Purnachandra Nagaraju1, Ranadheer Dontula, Bassel F El-Rayes
1Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA and.
Abstract:
Communication between the cell and its surrounding environment, consisting of proteinaceous (non-living material) and extracellular matrix (ECM), is important for biophysiological and chemical signaling. This signaling results in a range of cellular activities, including cell division, adhesion, differentiation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis. The ECM non-structural secretory glycoprotein called secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), plays a significant role in altering cancer cell activity and the tumor's microenvironment (TME). However, the role of SPARC in cancer research has been the subject of controversy. This review mainly focuses on recent advances in understanding the contradictory nature of SPARC in relation to ECM assembly, cancer cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, apoptosis and tumor growth.
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