Eph receptors in breast cancer: roles in tumor promotion and tumor suppression
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* Corresponding author: Jin Chen jin.chen@vanderbilt.edu
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
2 Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
3 Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
4 Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
Breast Cancer Research 2008, 10:217 doi:10.1186/bcr2207
Published: 22 December 2008Abstract
Eph receptor tyrosine kinase signaling regulates cancer initiation and metastatic progression through multiple mechanisms. Studies of tumor-cell-autonomous effects of Eph receptors demonstrate their dual roles in tumor suppression and tumor promotion. In addition, Eph molecules function in the tumor microenvironment, such as in vascular endothelial cells, influencing the ability of these molecules to promote carcinoma progression and metastasis. The complex nature of Eph receptor signaling and crosstalk with other receptor tyrosine kinases presents a unique challenge and an opportunity to develop therapeutic intervention strategies for targeting breast cancer.