Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions in Cancer
Cells require interactions with extracellular matrix (ECM) components in order to undergo normal morphogenesis with respect to organogenesis. ECM plays a significant role in regulating numerous cellular functions, like cell shape, adhesion, migration, pro
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Roy Zent Ambra Pozzi ●
Editors
Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions in Cancer
Editors Roy Zent Department of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37232 USA [email protected]
Ambra Pozzi Departments of Medicine and Cancer Biology Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN 37232 USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-0813-1 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-0814-8 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-0814-8 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2009932115 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
Cancer is a term used for diseases that affect any organ in the body, in which abnormal cells divide in an uncontrolled manner and in some instances are able to invade other tissues. Cancer is not just one disease, but many diseases with origins in multiple different organ systems. The defining abnormality in cancer is an imbalance between cell proliferation and death and is caused by mutations in DNA that code for proteins that regulate these cellular processes. Genes that promote cell growth in tumors are called proto-oncogenes, while tumor suppressor genes code for proteins that mediate antiproliferation signals and suppress mitosis and cell growth. Upregulation of proto-oncogenes and/or downregulation of tumor suppressor genes are a common event in cancer. Cells do not exist in isolation and require interactions with extracellular matrix (ECM) components in order to undergo normal morphogenesis with respect to organogenesis. ECM, which is composed of large macromolecules (e.g., collagens, fibronectin, laminins) and polysaccharides (e.g., glycosaminoglycans such as hyaluronan), plays a significant role in regulating numerous cellular functions including cell shape, adhesion, migration, proliferation, polarity, differentiation, and apoptosis. In physiological conditions, ECM levels are tightly regulated by a fine balance between synthesis and degradation. However, in pathological conditions, such as cancer, both increased synthesis of certain ECM components (i.e., collagens, fibronectin, and laminins) and/or increased breakdown with consequent generation of ECM cleavage products (i.e., laminin- or collagen-cleavage product
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