Abstract
Bone metastasis is one of the predominant causes of cancer lethality. This study demonstrates for the first time how β2-microglobulin (β2-M) supports lethal metastasis in vivo in human prostate, breast, lung, and renal cancer cells. β2-M mediates this process by activating epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote lethal bone and soft tissue metastases in host mice. β2-M interacts with its receptor, hemochromatosis (HFE) protein, to modulate iron responsive pathways in cancer cells. Inhibition of either β2-M or HFE results in reversion of EMT. These results demonstrate the role of β2-M in cancer metastasis and lethality. Thus, β2-M and its downstream signaling pathways are promising prognostic markers of cancer metastases and novel therapeutic targets for cancer therapy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2600-2610 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Cancer Research |
Volume | 71 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research