The fibroblastic coconspirator in cancer progression.
A remarkable change has occurred in the thinking about epithelial-derived cancer in recent years: From almost entirely focusing on oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes has come the realization that the tumor microenvironment is a coconspirator in the carcinogenic process. Many types of stromal cells, including fibroblasts, adipocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and cells of the vascular system, are crucial contributors to epithelial carcinogenesis. Here, we focus on the fibroblast's role in cancer progression and the molecules involved in the communications between the fibroblasts and the cancer cells, including fibroblast secreted protein 1 (FSP-1 or S100A4), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), the chemokine CXCL-12 (stromal derived factor 1 alpha, SDF-1alpha), type I collagen, and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13).
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Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, 94143-0452, USA.
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D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000502:physiology; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071999:S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4; D009418:S100 Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D024042:Collagen Type I; C515256:Cxcl12 protein, mouse; D000071999:S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4; D009418:S100 Proteins; C470944:S100a4 protein, mouse; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases