title: The Mesothelial Origin of Carcinoma Associated-Fibroblasts in Peritoneal Metastasis.
abstract: Solid tumors are complex and unstructured organs that, in addition to cancer cells, also contain other cell types. Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent an important population in the tumor microenviroment and participate in several stages of tumor progression, including cancer cell migration/invasion and metastasis. During peritoneal metastasis, cancer cells detach from the primary tumor, such as ovarian or gastrointestinal, disseminate through the peritoneal fluid and colonize the peritoneum. Tumor cells metastasize by attaching to and invading through the mesothelial cell (MC) monolayer that lines the peritoneal cavity, then colonizing the submesothelial compact zone where CAFs accumulate. CAFs may derive from different sources depending on the surrounding metastatic niche. In peritoneal metastasis, a sizeable subpopulation of CAFs originates from MCs through a mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (MMT), which promotes adhesion, invasion, vascularization and subsequent tumor growth. The bidirectional communication between cancer cells and MC-derived CAFs via secretion of a wide range of cytokines, growth factors and extracellular matrix components seems to be crucial for the establishment and progression of the metastasis in the peritoneum. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of novel advances in understanding how peritoneal CAFs provide cancer cells with a supportive microenvironment, as well as the development of future therapeutic approaches by interfering with the MMT in the peritoneum.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain. arynne@cbm.csic.es.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rynne-Vidal
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario La Princesa, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa, 28006 Madrid, Spain. jjheffernan@yahoo.com.|Departamento de Oncología, Hospital de la Zarzuela, 28023 Madrid, Spain. jjheffernan@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Heffernan
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Oncología, Hospital de la Zarzuela, 28023 Madrid, Spain. mcfernandezch@sanitas.es.
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández-Chacón
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain. mlcabrera@cbm.csic.es.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sandoval
keywords: carcinoma-associated fibroblasts; mesothelial cells; mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition; peritoneal metastasis; therapeutic strategies