Advances in the study of cancer metastasis and calcium signaling as potential therapeutic targets

oleh: Chaochu Cui, Yongxi Zhang, Gang Liu, Shuhong Zhang, Jinghang Zhang, Xianwei Wang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Open Exploration Publishing Inc. 2021-06-01

Deskripsi

Metastasis is still the primary cause of cancer-related mortality. However, the underlying mechanisms of cancer metastasis are not yet fully understood. Currently, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolic remodeling, cancer cell intercommunication and the tumor microenvironment including diverse stromal cells, are reported to affect the metastatic process of cancer cells. Calcium ions (Ca2+) are ubiquitous second messengers that manipulate cancer metastasis by affecting signaling pathways. Diverse transporter/pump/channel-mediated Ca2+ currents form Ca2+ oscillations that can be decoded by Ca2+-binding proteins, which are promising prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of cancer metastasis. This paper presents a review of the advances in research on the mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis and the roles of Ca2+-related signals in these events.