Title

Autocrine signaling in carcinoma: VEGF and the alpha6beta4 integrin

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Cancer Biology

Publication Date

2004-03-17

Document Type

Article

Subjects

*Autocrine Communication; Carcinoma; Humans; Integrin alpha6beta4; Signal Transduction; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Disciplines

Cancer Biology | Neoplasms

Abstract

This review highlights an emerging function for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in carcinoma and discusses mechanisms involved in the elaboration of VEGF autocrine loops. Evidence is provided that autocrine VEGF contributes to the two major components of invasive carcinoma: survival and migration. Moreover, the findings discussed support the hypothesis that carcinoma progression selects for cells that depend on VEGF as a survival factor. Furthermore, a related hypothesis, which is developed, is that the function of the alpha6beta4 integrin, which has been implicated in carcinoma progression, is linked to its ability to regulate VEGF translation and, consequently, autocrine VEGF signaling. The findings reviewed challenge the notion that the function of VEGF in cancer is limited to angiogenesis and suggest that VEGF and VEGF receptor-based therapeutics, in addition to targeting angiogenesis, may also impair tumor cell survival and invasion directly.

DOI of Published Version

10.1016/j.semcancer.2003.09.016

Source

Semin Cancer Biol. 2004 Apr;14(2):115-22. Link to article on publisher's site

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Seminars in cancer biology

Related Resources

Link to Article in PubMed

PubMed ID

15018895

Link to Full Text

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