Regulation of Gene Expression in the Tumor Environment

This volume examines several different aspects on the cross talk within the tumor microenvironment components leading to the acquisition of the metastatic phenotype, shedding further light on the understanding of these complicated processes.

It is now becoming very clear that the development and progression of tumor towards the malignant (metastatic) phenotype depends tightly on the interaction between the tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. Tumor cells respond to stimuli generated within the tumor microenvironment for their growth advantage while the tumor cell themselves reshape and remodel the architecture and function of their extracellular matrices. The term tumor microenvironment is a wide umbrella consisting of stromal cells such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells and infiltration immune cells including T and B cells, macrophages, and other inflammatory cells (PMNs). These different components of the tumor microenvironment could have stimulatory and inhibitory effects on tumor progression by regulating the gene expression repertoire within the tumor cells on one hand and the stroma cells on the other. In this volume we have seven contributors who will discuss several different aspects on the cross talk within the tumor microenvironment components leading to the acquisition of the metastatic phenotype. It is our hope that these state-of-the-art studies will shed further light on our understanding of these complicated processes.

Describes the contribution of the tumor microenvironment to tumor growth and metastasis Gives a unique opportunity to understand the cross talk between tumor cells (the seed) and the organ microenvironment (the soil) Discusses therapy targeting the microenvironment rather than the tumor cells

Inhalt
Regulation of Melanoma Progression by the Tumor Microenvironment: The Roles of PAR-1 and PAFR.- Functions of Autocrine Motility Factor at the Tumor Microenvironment.- Targeting Signaling Pathways In the Search of Melanoma's Achilles' Heel.- The Impact of ErbB2 on Cancer Progression and Metastasis through Modulation of Tumor and Tumor Microenvironment.- Convergance of Cytoskeletal Signaling at p21-Activated Kinases.- Molecular Basis for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Tumor.- Incipient Events in Human Carcinogenesis: A Concept of Forerunner Genes.