Takuro Miyazaki*, Risako Akasu and Akira Miyazaki Pages 3128 - 3138 ( 11 )
Background: Normalization of the stromal microenvironment is a promising strategy for cancer control. Cancer-associated fibroblasts, tumor-associated macrophages, and mesenchymal stromal cells have a central role in stromal functions. Accordingly, understanding these stromal cells is indispensable for the development of next-generation cancer therapies. Growing evidence suggests that calpain-induced intracellular proteolysis is responsible for cancer growth and stromal regulation. Calpain is a family of stress-responsive intracellular proteases and is inducible in cancer and stromal cells during carcinogenesis.
Objective: Here, we shed light on the recent advances that have been made in understanding how calpain contributes to stromal regulation in cancer.
Conclusion: Calpains are activated in stromal cells, including pancreatic stellate cells and mesenchymal cells. They induce fibrogenic responses in cancer stroma. Moreover, these molecules contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and endothelial-mesenchymal transition to provide mesenchymal stromal cells in the microenvironment and concomitantly participate in cancer angiogenesis. In addition to the conventional calpains, the unconventional calpain-9 is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Animal experiments showed that targeting calpain systems antagonizes cancer development; thus, this approach is promising for cancer control.
Tumorigenesis, extracellular matrix, vascular endothelial cells, tumor neovessels, fibrosis, desmoplasia, wound healing.
Department of Biochemistry, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Department of Biochemistry, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Department of Biochemistry, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555