上皮细胞间质化在胃癌发生发展中的作用

Role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric cancer initiation and progression

胃癌是世界范围内最常见的肿瘤之一。因为其复杂的发生发展机制,早期发现与有效治疗尤为困难。上皮细胞间质化(epithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)是胚胎发育、伤口愈合、纤维疾病发展中的重要过程。最近有研究表明,胃癌的发生与EMT的异常激活有密切关系。EMT的激活使得胃癌上皮细胞具有间质细胞的特征,上皮极性减少,而且间质细胞获得干细胞侵袭、转移、抗凋亡、耐药等特征。至今发现多种分子与EMT有关,如E-钙黏蛋白等。也有研究发现EMT可能与表观遗传机制有关。现已发现的与EMT有关分子可以作为胃癌早期诊断的标志,而EMT的发现也会为胃癌靶向治疗提供新的思路。本文就其研究进展做一综述。

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. Due to its intricate initiation and progression mechanisms, early detection and effective treatment of gastric cancer become difficult. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT） is characterized as a fundamental process that is critical for embryonic development, wound healing and fibrotic disease. Recent evidence shows that aberrant EMT activation in the human stomach is closely associated with gastric carcinogenesis and tumor progression. EMT activation endows gastric epithelial cells with increased characteristics of mesenchymal cells and reduces their epithelial features. Moreover, mesenchymal cells tend to acquire stem cell or tumorigenic phenotypes such as invasion, metastasis and apoptosis resistance as well as drug resistance during EMT progression. There are a number of molecules that indicate the stage of EMT（e.g. E-cadherin cell biomarker）. In addition, EMT regulation may be associated with certain epigenetic mechanisms. The molecules can be used as early diagnostic markers for gastric cancer, and EMT regulation can provide potential targets for gastric cancer therapy. Here, we review the role of these aspects of EMT in gastric cancer initiation and development.