神经导向因子在肿瘤中的作用及其机制

神经导向因子Netrins作为分泌蛋白与膜结合蛋白,在神经细胞迁移、分化及凋亡等生物学过程中发挥重要的作用。自发现以来,Netrins被认为负责指导中枢神经系统组织形态的发育,随后发现它也广泛参与一些非神经组织的黏附、迁移和分化等生理过程,如血管生成、淋巴管形成和炎症等。最近的研究表明,Netrins也参与调控肿瘤的发生与发展,在结直肠癌、胰腺导管腺癌等多种肿瘤组织中发挥重要的调控作用。由于Netrins的功能多样性且通过结合不同受体在肿瘤组织中发挥不同的生物学效应,其在肿瘤中的具体作用机制尚不清楚。文中结合课题组目前的实验研究进展,阐述了近年来关于Netrins的研究,特别是在肿瘤领域取得的最新研究结果,总结了其作用机制,并对其研究及应用前景进行了展望。

Roles and mechanisms of netrins in cancer development

As secreted protein and membrane-bound proteins, netrins play important roles in biological processes such as neural cell migration, differentiation and apoptosis. Netrins were thought to guide axon outgrowth and central nervous system morphology since they were discovered. Besides, they also participate in physiological processes such as cell adhesion, migration, differentiation, angiogenesis, lymph angiogenesis, and inflammation in non-neural tissues. Recent studies showed that netrins also involved in the regulation of initiation and development of various tumors including colorectal cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Because of the functional diversity of netrins and the different biological effects of different receptors in tumor tissue, the specific mechanism of their action in tumors remains unclear. Based on current research progress of our group, this review summed up recent research findings on netrins in relation to cancer biology, suggested possible mechanisms, and discussed the implications in cancer research and intervention.