"In a pair of studies, investigators from the lab of Huiping Liu, MD, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology and of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, have uncovered how specific cellular interactions in the bloodstream may be fueling the spread of breast cancer. Published in Nature Communications and The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the studies reveal how circulating tumor cells form clusters alongside immune cells -dramatically increasing their ability to spread."
"The first study, published in Nature Communications, identifies the protein Plexin-B2 (PLXNB2) as a critical player in breast cancer's ability to metastasize, or spread to new parts of the body. In the study, investigators employed a computational ranking algorithm to identify proteins associated with unfavorable patient outcomes. They found that PLXNB2 is highly expressed in multicellular circulating tumor cell (CTCs) clusters, which are up to 50 times more efficient at forming metastases than single CTCs."
Plexin-B2 (PLXNB2) is highly expressed in multicellular circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters, which are up to 50 times more efficient at forming metastases than single CTCs. Circulating tumor cells form clusters alongside immune cells, creating protective interactions that promote seeding, help evade immune surveillance, and shield tumor cells from hostile factors during dissemination. A computational ranking algorithm linked PLXNB2 expression to unfavorable patient outcomes, identifying PLXNB2 as both a biomarker of poor prognosis and an active driver of metastasis. Genetic knockout of PLXNB2 in mouse models substantially reduced lung metastases, indicating PLXNB2 inhibition could be a promising therapeutic strategy against breast cancer spread.
#plexin-b2-plxnb2 #circulating-tumor-cell-clusters #breast-cancer-metastasis #immune-cell-interactions
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