title: Cancer cell behaviors mediated by dysregulated pH dynamics at a glance.
abstract: Dysregulated pH is a common characteristic of cancer cells, as they have an increased intracellular pH (pHi) and a decreased extracellular pH (pHe) compared with normal cells. Recent work has expanded our knowledge of how dysregulated pH dynamics influences cancer cell behaviors, including proliferation, metastasis, metabolic adaptation and tumorigenesis. Emerging data suggest that the dysregulated pH of cancers enables these specific cell behaviors by altering the structure and function of selective pH-sensitive proteins, termed pH sensors. Recent findings also show that, by blocking pHiincreases, cancer cell behaviors can be attenuated. This suggests ion transporter inhibition as an effective therapeutic approach, either singly or in combination with targeted therapies. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and accompanying poster, we highlight the interconnected roles of dysregulated pH dynamics in cancer initiation, progression and adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Katharine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San José, CA 95192, USA.
authors.forename: Bree K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Grillo-Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA diane.barber@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Diane L
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7185-9435
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Barber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002465:Cell Movement; D002470:Cell Survival; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Cancer; Metabolism; Metastasis; Migration; Proliferation; pH