The 2016 John J. Abel Award Lecture: Targeting the Mechanical Microenvironment in Cancer

Hannah E Majeski; Jing Yang

doi:10.1124/mol.116.106765

The 2016 John J. Abel Award Lecture: Targeting the Mechanical Microenvironment in Cancer

Mol Pharmacol. 2016 Dec;90(6):744-754. doi: 10.1124/mol.116.106765. Epub 2016 Oct 14.

Authors

Hannah E Majeski¹, Jing Yang²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology (H.E.M., J.Y.), Department of Pediatrics (J.Y.), and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (H.E.M., J.Y.), Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California.
² Department of Pharmacology (H.E.M., J.Y.), Department of Pediatrics (J.Y.), and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (H.E.M., J.Y.), Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California jingyang@ucsd.edu.

Abstract

Past decades of cancer research have mainly focused on the role of various extracellular and intracellular biochemical signals on cancer progression and metastasis. Recent studies suggest an important role of mechanical forces in regulating cellular behaviors. This review first provides an overview of the mechanobiology research field. Then we specially focus on mechanotransduction pathways in cancer progression and describe in detail the key signaling components of such mechanotransduction pathways and extracellular matrix components that are altered in cancer. Although our understanding of mechanoregulation in cancer is still in its infancy, some agents against key mechanoregulators have been developed and will be discussed to explore the potential of pharmacologically targeting mechanotransduction in cancer.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Awards and Prizes*
Biomechanical Phenomena
Extracellular Matrix / metabolism
Humans
Mechanotransduction, Cellular
Neoplasms / pathology*
Signal Transduction
Tumor Microenvironment*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding