Claudin-7在肿瘤干细胞中的研究进展

Research Progress of Claudin-7 Protein in Cancer Stem Cells

密封蛋白(Claudin)家族是细胞紧密连接的主要结构之一,近年来被发现在结直肠癌、肺癌、胰腺癌、甲状腺癌、食管癌等恶性肿瘤中表达异常,提示与恶性肿瘤发生、发展具有密切关系。其中Claudin-7蛋白广泛分布于人体各组织器官,除维持脏器正常生理功能外,还可能涉及多种信号传导通路及某些癌症相关事件的发生。Claudin-7蛋白与多种肿瘤干细胞标志物存在相互作用关系,亦参与肿瘤外泌体的形成。其与消化道肿瘤上皮-间质转化的发生及肿瘤干细胞之间的关系逐渐受到重视。

The Claudin family is one of the major structures of cell tight junctions. In recent years, the abnormal expression of Claudin family is found in many tumors, such as colorectal cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, esophagealcancer and so on, indicating it has a close relationship with malignant tumor occurrence and development. The Claudin-7 protein is widely distributed in many tissues and organs. In addition to maintaining normal physiological function, they may also be involved in a variety of signal transduction pathways and some cancer related events. The present study found that Claudin-7 protein interacts with many tumor stem cell markers, and also participates in the formation of tumor extracellular bodies. The relationship between Claudin-7 protein and the occurrence of digestive tract tumor EMT and tumor stem cells has attracted more and more attention.