Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)--an increasing insight into its role in tumorigenicity and metastasis.
Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) first attracted attention more than two decades ago as endothelial adhesion receptor with key function for leukocyte recruitment in term of cellular immune response. The early finding of VCAM-1 binding to melanoma cells, and thus a suggested mechanistic contribution to metastatic spread, was the first and for a long time the only link of VCAM-1 to cancer sciences. In the last few years, hallmarked by a growing insight into the molecular understanding of tumorigenicity and metastasis, an impressive variety of VCAM-1 functionalities in cancer have been elucidated. The present review aims to provide a current overview of VCAM-1 relevance for tumor growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, and related processes. By illustrating the intriguing role of VCAM-1 in cancer disease, VCAM-1 is suggested as a new and up to now underestimated target in cancer treatment and in clinical diagnosis of malignancies.
Department of Pharmacy, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, 53121, Bonn, Germany.
Martin
M
Schlesinger
Gerd
G
Bendas
D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism*
D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1
VCAM-1; VLA-4; angiogenesis; cancer; metastasis