title: Does integrin-mediated cell death confer tissue tropism in metastasis?
abstract: To develop metastatic capability, tumor cells must evolve the capacity to survive in novel microenvironments. Recently, we showed that metastasis of neuroblastoma cells is enhanced by loss of caspase-8, an event that occurs frequently in this malignancy. In poorly metastatic cells, unligated integrins were found to trigger activation of caspase-8, providing a selective pressure to promote its attenuation and thereby increased survival in foreign adhesive environments. Our findings suggest one mechanism by which the organotropism of metastatic cancer cells can arise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA. jill.lahti@st.jude.org
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teitz
authors.forename: Dwayne G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Stupack
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: C505530:CASP8 protein, human; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases