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Homeostatic Signaling by Cell-Cell Junctions and Its Dysregulation during Cancer Progression

Yang Yu1, Randolph C Elble2,3

  • 1Department of Nature Medicine, Tianjin Medical University School of Pharmacy, Tianjin 300070, China. yuyang@tmu.edu.cn.

Journal of Clinical Medicine
|February 23, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives cancer metastasis and therapy resistance. Cell-cell junctions suppress EMT, but their role in cancer is complex. This review explores junctional signaling to inhibit EMT in cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial for development and repair but is hijacked by cancer cells for metastasis and therapy resistance.
  • EMT also confers stem-like properties, enhancing the colonization of distant organs.
  • Cell-cell junctions normally maintain epithelial quiescence and suppress EMT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of cell-cell junctions in suppressing EMT.
  • To discuss conflicting data on junctional signaling in cancer and recent resolutions.
  • To explore strategies for inhibiting EMT.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on cell-cell junctions and EMT.
  • Analysis of data from breast cancer and other relevant organ sites.
  • Evaluation of current and potential EMT inhibition strategies.

Main Results:

  • Cell-cell junctions play a critical role in suppressing EMT and maintaining epithelial integrity.
  • Junctional signaling in cancer presents complex and sometimes conflicting evidence.
  • Recent developments are helping to resolve these conflicts regarding junctional roles.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting cell-cell junctions offers potential therapeutic strategies to inhibit EMT.
  • Understanding junctional signaling is key to overcoming EMT-driven metastasis and therapy resistance.
  • Further research into resolving conflicting data can lead to novel anti-cancer treatments.
Keywords:
E-cadherinEMTPLEKHA7adherens junctionsbreast cancercancer stem cellsclaudinsdisseminationhuman mammary epithelial cellsmiR30btight junctions

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