Opposing Roles for Complement Component C5a in Tumor Progression and the Tumor Microenvironment

C5a in Tumor Progression and the Tumor Opposing Roles for Complement Component

Tumor microenvironment in cancer progression

Keywords: tumor microenvironment; Heat-shock Factor 1 (HSF1) Billions of years of evolution through changing environments led organisms to develop an arsenal of cytoprotec-tive pathways to promote their survival under stressful conditions. We hypothesized that tumors exploit these mechanisms to support their own survival as they rapidly develop and evolve in a hostile and stressful environment....

Microenvironment and Immunology Akt1 and Akt3 Exert Opposing Roles in the Regulation of Vascular Tumor Growth

Vascular tumors are endothelial cell neoplasms whose mechanisms of tumorigenesis are poorly understood. Moreover, current therapies, particularly those for malignant lesions, have little beneficial effect on clinical outcomes. In this study, we show that endothelial activation of the Akt1 kinase is sufficient to drive de novo tumor formation. Mechanistic investigations uncovered opposing functi...

Changing Roles of Matrix Metalloproteases and Their Inhibitors, TIMPs, During Tumor Progression and Angiogenesis

Inhibition of matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) has been shown in vivo to decrease metastasis and tumor-associated angiogenesis. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the role of these proteins at the pericellular microenvironment of tumor and endothelial cells. Secretion of MMPs by tumor cells enables the migration, invasion and metasta...

Intercellular Communication, the Tumor Microenvironment, and Tumor Progression

Within a solid tumor, cancer cells interact with normal host cells as well as with insoluble and soluble factors, including extracellular matrix proteins and chemokines. Here, we survey the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells interact with their surrounding microenvironment, with a particular focus on intercellular communication. This host-tumor crosstalk provides key signals that direct...