Intimate communications within the tumor microenvironment: stromal factors function as an orchestra

Journal of Biomedical Science

Review

Bing Cheng¹  Wenyu Wang¹  Qiang Yu² 

[1] Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Disease, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China;Guangdong Research Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China;Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Disease, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China;Guangdong Research Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China;Cancer Precision Medicine, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Biopolis, Singapore;Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, DUKE-NUS Graduate Medical School of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore;

关键词: Tumor microenvironment;    Cancer-associated fibroblast;    Epigenetic regulation;    Immunotherapy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12929-022-00894-z

 received in 2022-05-12, accepted in 2022-12-18,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Extensive studies of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in the last decade have reformed the view of cancer as a tumor cell-centric disease. The tumor microenvironment, especially termed the "seed and soil" theory, has emerged as the key determinant in cancer development and therapeutic resistance. The TME mainly consists of tumor cells, stromal cells such as fibroblasts, immune cells, and other noncellular components. Within the TME, intimate communications among these components largely determine the fate of the tumor. The pivotal roles of the stroma, especially cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the most common component within the TME, have been revealed in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, therapeutic response, and tumor immunity. A better understanding of the function of the TME sheds light on tumor therapy. In this review, we summarize the emerging understanding of stromal factors, especially CAFs, in cancer progression, drug resistance, and tumor immunity with an emphasis on their functions in epigenetic regulation. Moreover, the importance of epigenetic regulation in reshaping the TME and the basic biological principles underpinning the synergy between epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy will be further discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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