Erratum in:- Cancer Cell. 2007 Feb;11(2):207.
- Cancer Cell. 2008 Sep 9;14(3):274-7.
The VEGF-C/Flt-4 axis promotes invasion and metastasis of cancer cells.
Su JL, Yang PC, Shih JY, Yang CY, Wei LH, Hsieh CY, Chou CH, Jeng YM, Wang MY, Chang KJ, Hung MC, Kuo ML.
Institute of Toxicology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
Flt-4, a VEGF receptor, is activated by its specific ligand, VEGF-C. The resultant signaling pathway promotes angiogenesis and/or lymphangiogenesis. This report provides evidence that the VEGF-C/Flt-4 axis enhances cancer cell mobility and invasiveness and contributes to the promotion of cancer cell metastasis. VEGF-C/Flt-4-mediated invasion and metastasis of cancer cells were found to require upregulation of the neural cell adhesion molecule contactin-1 through activation of the Src-p38 MAPK-C/EBP-dependent pathway. Examination of tumor tissues from various types of cancers revealed high levels of Flt-4 and VEGF-C expression that correlated closely with clinical metastasis and patient survival. The VEGF-C/Flt-4 axis, through upregulation of contactin-1, may regulate the invasive capacity in different types of cancer cells.
Publication Types:
PMID: 16530705 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]