title: [Role of the voltage-gated sodium channels in the metastatic capacity of cancer cells].
abstract: The functional expression of voltage-gated sodium channels (Na(v)) in cancer cells is associated with an increase of metastatic potential. The activity of Na(v) channels modulates different cellular processes related to the development of the malignant phenotype, such as adhesion, galvanotaxis, motility and invasiveness. Among the great diversity of cancerous phenotypes, Na(v) channels expression is common in highly metastatic cells with their distribution following a primary tumor-specific pattern. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature, regarding to: the types of Na(v) channels expressed by different types of cancer cells, the cancer cellular processes in which they play important roles, and the molecular mechanisms by which these channels promote metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neuropatología Molecular, División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. ehplata@email.ifc.unam.mx
authors.forename: Everardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández-Plata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D061566:Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels