Know thy neighbor: stromal cells can contribute oncogenic signals.
Although the stroma within carcinogenic lesions is known to be supportive and responsive to tumors, new data increasingly show that the stroma also has a more active, oncogenic role in tumorigenesis. Stromal cells and their products can transform adjacent tissues in the absence of pre-existing tumor cells by inciting phenotypic and genomic changes in the epithelial cells. The oncogenic action of distinctive stromal components has been demonstrated through a variety of approaches, which provide clues about the cellular pathways involved.
Tlsty
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Department of Pathology and UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0506, USA. tlsty@itsa.ucsf.edu
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D002273:Carcinogens / Q000633:toxicity; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009857:Oncogenes; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*
D002273:Carcinogens; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases