title: Tumour progression and cancer-induced pain: a role for protease-activated receptor-2?
abstract: The role of proteases in modifying the microenvironment of tumour cells has long been recognised. With the discovery of the protease-activated receptor family of G protein-coupled receptors a mechanism for cells to sense and respond directly to proteases in their microenvironment was revealed. Many early studies described the roles of protease-activated receptors in the cellular events that occur during blood coagulation and inflammation. More recently, studies have begun to focus on the roles of protease-activated receptors in the establishment, progression and metastasis of a variety of tumours. This review will focus on the expression of protease-activated receptor-2 and its activators by normal and neoplastic tissues, and describe current evidence that activation of protease-activated receptor-2 is an important event at multiple stages of tumour progression and in pain associated with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Pamuditha K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Kularathna
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: Charles N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Pagel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: ejmackie@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Eleanor J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mackie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D044464:Receptor, PAR-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D044464:Receptor, PAR-2
keywords: Angiogenesis; Cancer; G protein-coupled receptor; Protease-activated receptor-2; Serine protease