Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026

Intra-iliac Artery Injection for Efficient and Selective Modeling of Microscopic Bone Metastasis
Published on: September 26, 2016
CXCL12-CXCR4 contributes to the implication of bone marrow in cancer metastasis
Jingsheng Shi1, Yibing Wei, Jun Xia
1Department of Orthopedics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Abstract:
The CXCL12-CXCR4 axis is postulated to be a key pathway in the interaction between (cancer) stem cells and their surrounding supportive cells in the (cancer) stem cell niche. As the bone marrow constitutes a unique microenvironment for cancer cells, the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis assists the bone marrow in regulating cancer progression. This interaction can be disrupted by CXCR4 antagonists, and this concept is being used clinically to harvest hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from the bone marrow. The functions of CXCL12-CXCR4 axis in cancer cell-tumor microenvironment interaction and angiogenesis have been recently studied. This review focuses on how CXCL12-CXCR4 helps the bone marrow in creating a tumor mircoenvironment that results in the cancer metastasis. It also discusses ongoing research regarding the clinical feasibility of CXCR4 inhibitors.
Related Concept Videos
Metastasis
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...
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
The Tumor Microenvironment

