肿瘤细胞低氧反应的分子机制

由于肿瘤的高度浸润性和快速生长导致血液供应不足而产生肿瘤内低氧。低氧在肿瘤细胞生理过程中起着许多重要作用,这些作用包括特定的信号转导通路的激活、基因调控、基因突变介导的肿瘤细胞的恶性筛选、肿瘤细胞凋亡和肿瘤血管形成。多种机制参与了肿瘤的进展,其中肿瘤组织内的低氧对于肿瘤进展和转移是一个中心环节。综述了最近有关肿瘤细胞低氧诱导的分子机制方面的知识,重点描述了细胞内信号转导、基因调控、血管生成和凋亡的机制。对于这些通路的干预将是肿瘤治疗的一个新方向。

Molecular responses to hypoxia in tumor cells

Highly aggressive, rapidly growing tumors are exposed to hypoxia which occurs as a consequence of inadequate blood supply. Hypoxia exerts a variety of influences on tumor cell biology. These are activation of certain signal transduction pathways and gene regulatory mechanisms, induction of selection processes for gene mutations, tumor cell apoptosis and tumor angiogenesis. Most of these mechanisms contribute to tumor progression. Therefore, tissue hypoxia has been regarded as a central factor for tumor aggressiveness and metastasis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms induced by tumor cell hypoxia with a special emphasis on intracellular signal transduction, gene regulation, angiogenesis and apoptosis. Interfering with these pathways might open perspectives for future innovative treatment of highly aggressive metastasizing tumors.