A twist tale of cancer metastasis and tumor angiogenesis
Jen-Chieh Tseng1, Hsiao-Fan Chen2, Kou-Juey Wu3
1PerkinElmer Inc., Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA and Research Center for Tumor Medical Science, Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Abstract:
Twist1 is an evolutionally conserved transcription factor. Originally identified in Drosophila as a key regulator for mesoderm development, it was later implicated in many human diseases, including Saethre-Chotzen syndrome and cancer. Twist1's involvement in cancer has been well recognized. Driven by hypoxia-induced factor-1 (HIF-1), Twist1 has been considered as a proto-oncogene and its overexpression has been observed in a wide variety of human cancers. High expression level of Twist1 is closely related to tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. In cancer cells, Twist1 has been shown to function as a key regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a critical process for metastasis initiation. Twist1 has also been implicated in maintaining cancer stemness for self-renewal and chemoresistance. This review first summarizes the roles of Twist1 in embryo development and Saethre-Chotzen syndrome followed by a discussion of Twist1's critical functions in cancer. In particular, the review focuses on the recent discovery of Twist1's capability to promote endothelial transdifferentiation of cancer cells beyond EMT.
More Related Videos
09:03Monitoring Functionality and Morphology of Vasculature Recruited by Factors Secreted by Fast-growing Tumor-generating Cells
Published on: November 23, 2014
07:39The Establishment of a Lung Colonization Assay for Circulating Tumor Cell Visualization in Lung Tissues
Published on: June 16, 2018
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...
Mechanism of Angiogenesis
The Tumor Microenvironment
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Cancer
