pbl week 2 Flashcards
what is invasion
growth by infiltration and destruction of surrounding tissues
metastasis
spread of tumour to -and growth at - ectopic sites , via blood, lymphatics , intra-epithelial route or transcoelomic route.
info on the basement membrane
it delineates the epithelial or endothelial tissues
it is secreted by basal epithelial cells/endothelial cells
it is a layer of the extracellular matrix
contains fibronectin , type 4 collagen and laminin
it acts as a barrier to spread *carcinoma cells
the metastatic cascade steps
local invasion neovascularisation/angiogenesis detachment intravasation transport lodgement/arrest extravasation growth at ectopic site
what are properties of metastatic tumour cells
- reduced cell to cell adhesion
- altered cell-substratum adhesion
- increased motility
- increased proteolytic ability
- angiogenic ability
- ability to intravasate and extravasate
- ability to proliferate
for carcinomas (and melanoma), the cancer cells acquire the
ability to escape the ‘glue’ that binds them together, via mutations
(or epigenetic alterations) in
E-cadherin, or in molecules that
regulate or interact with it.
•mutations in transcription factors that regulate E-cadherin
(snail, slug, twist
•mutations in proteins that interact with ECD (b-catenin, APC)
• ECD promoter methylated (inactive) in some carcinomas
•‘exon-skipping’ in diffuse-type gastric tumours ~ lacking exons that
encode Ca2+
-binding domain
what are cell adhesion molecules
integral to plasma membrane and bind to ECM molecules / they are found in basal epithelial cells and in focal adhesions of migrating cells.
what are integrins
Integrins are proteins that function mechanically, by attaching the cell cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM), and biochemically, by sensing whether adhesion has occurred. The integrin family of proteins consists of alpha and beta subtypes, which form transmembrane heterodimers
example of an integrin
alpha 5 beta 1 which is the fibronectin receptor so it binds fibronectin
what specific integrin promotes invasion and metastasis
vitronectin receptor (integrin alpha v beta3) on invasive front of melanoma
the possible mechanisms by which integrins encourage cancer
decreased adhesion to basement membrane surrounding epithelium
increased migration through stroma
increased adhesion to basement membrane or endothelial cells of blood vessels which is a binding site for proteolytic enzymes
what is HGF
is the same as scatter factor and it can induce epithelial cells to dissociate and scatter in culture . HGF is a mitogen (GF) a motogen (motility factor) and a morphogenic with a development role .
where is HFG produced
produced by stromal cells in a tumour (cells in the tumour micro-environment
what is c-met `
a receptor tyrosine kinase on tumour epithelial cells
what happens when HGF binds with c-met
activation of c-met leads to increased tyrosine phosphorylation of b-catenin
in tumour epithelial cells which disrupts ECD-mediated adhesion.
HGF/c-met - example of tumour-stroma interaction
what cells are in a tumour microenvironment
cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) immune cells that have infiltrated the tumour * myofibroblasts tumour-associated vasculature pericytes
And these secrete - growth factors , chemokines and enzymes
what are pericytes
contractile cells that wrap around the endothelial ells that line the capillaries and venules throughout the body
what does the tumour microenvironment facilitate ?
tumour-stromal interactions
what is the stromal component of the tumour component c-met?
HGF
what is the stromal component of the tumour component chemokine receptor (CKR)
chemokine