Tumor Invasion and Metastasis
摘要
Most cancer deaths are attributed to the failure of response to treatment of migrating tumor cells. Thus investigation of the mecha-nisms of tumor invasion and metastasis has become the last frontier of cancer research. Here we briefly discuss how benign cancer cells, through well orchestrated mechanisms of (a) activation of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), (b) remodeling of extra-cellular matrix (ECM), and (c) migration of cancer cells to distant specific sites, turn into metastatic cancer cells. From the experi-mental observations by us and others we know that members of the ETS transcription factor family play important roles in activating genes encoding proteins responsible for EMT and ECM remodeling. Thus studies into the regulatory mechanisms of these three events will help trace the genetic and epigenetic changes that turn a benign cancer cell into a malignant migrating one.