Cancer cell migration under control of human cathelicidin LL-37

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cancer cell migration is crucial for metastasis, posing a significant challenge in oncology.
• The tumor microenvironment contains factors like human cathelicidin LL-37 that regulate cancer cell movement.
• Understanding these regulatory mechanisms is key to developing anti-metastatic therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize current knowledge on the role of human cathelicidin LL-37 in cancer cell migration.
• To explore how LL-37 influences tumor progression, including signaling pathways, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis.
• To highlight LL-37 as a potential therapeutic target for inhibiting cancer invasion and metastasis.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature up to July 2025 on LL-37 and cancer cell migration.
• Analysis of experimental models (in vitro and in vivo) and mathematical descriptions of cell movement.
• Characterization of cell motion parameters and trajectory analysis.

Main Results:

• LL-37 acts as an agonist for multiple receptors, initiating diverse signaling pathways.
• Its effect on cancer cell migration is context-dependent, varying with tumor type, receptor expression, concentration, and exposure time.
• LL-37 generally promotes migration and invasiveness in epithelial tumors (e.g., breast, hepatocellular, squamous cell carcinomas) but inhibits motility in glioma and colon cancer.

Conclusions:

• LL-37's dual role in cancer cell migration offers new therapeutic avenues for controlling invasion and metastasis.
• Targeting LL-37 pathways could lead to novel strategies against metastatic cancer.
• Integrating mathematical models with biological insights may enhance the development of therapies to combat cancer metastasis.