{"title":"Epistemology of the Origin of Cancer II: Fibroblasts Are the First Cells to Undergo Neoplastic Transformation.","authors":"Björn L D M Brücher, Ijaz S Jamall","doi":"10.33594/000000672","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Many questions in cancer biology remain unanswered. Perhaps the most important issues remaining to be addressed focus on the molecular basis of carcinogenesis. Today's cancer focus lies on genetics and gene expression, which is unlikely to explain the true cause of most cancers or lead to a cure.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Earlier, we provided a plausible mechanism for this process, specifically, that most cancers develop in response to pathogenic stimuli that induce chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and remodeling of the cellular microenvironment. Collectively, these changes generate a precancerous niche (PCN) in which fibrosis and remodeling are ongoing secondary to persistent inflammation, followed by the deployment of a chronic stress escape strategy (CSES). If the CSES is unsuccessful, the cell undergoes a normal cell to cancer cell transformation (NCCT).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Here, we highlight the critical role of fibroblasts as the first cells to undergo neoplastic transformation to a cancerous phenotype which is based on several critical findings. First, persistent disruption of homeostatic crosstalk increases lysyl oxidase activity and lysine oxidation which leads to increased collagen stiffness and decreased elasticity. If unresolved, chronic tissue stress will lead to an escape strategy that involves the recruitment of fibroblasts and fibrocytes from the bone marrow as well as cells undergoing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This yields a heterogeneous pool of cells that express both epithelial and mesenchymal markers and that will ultimately differentiate into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Finally, CAFs undergo a mesenchymalepithelial transition (MET) and express epithelial markers that facilitate their integration into the target tissue.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Here, we review the published findings that led us to this conclusion which is the most plausible answer to this critical question.</p>","PeriodicalId":9845,"journal":{"name":"Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.33594/000000672","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background/aims: Many questions in cancer biology remain unanswered. Perhaps the most important issues remaining to be addressed focus on the molecular basis of carcinogenesis. Today's cancer focus lies on genetics and gene expression, which is unlikely to explain the true cause of most cancers or lead to a cure.
Methods: Earlier, we provided a plausible mechanism for this process, specifically, that most cancers develop in response to pathogenic stimuli that induce chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and remodeling of the cellular microenvironment. Collectively, these changes generate a precancerous niche (PCN) in which fibrosis and remodeling are ongoing secondary to persistent inflammation, followed by the deployment of a chronic stress escape strategy (CSES). If the CSES is unsuccessful, the cell undergoes a normal cell to cancer cell transformation (NCCT).
Results: Here, we highlight the critical role of fibroblasts as the first cells to undergo neoplastic transformation to a cancerous phenotype which is based on several critical findings. First, persistent disruption of homeostatic crosstalk increases lysyl oxidase activity and lysine oxidation which leads to increased collagen stiffness and decreased elasticity. If unresolved, chronic tissue stress will lead to an escape strategy that involves the recruitment of fibroblasts and fibrocytes from the bone marrow as well as cells undergoing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This yields a heterogeneous pool of cells that express both epithelial and mesenchymal markers and that will ultimately differentiate into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Finally, CAFs undergo a mesenchymalepithelial transition (MET) and express epithelial markers that facilitate their integration into the target tissue.
Conclusion: Here, we review the published findings that led us to this conclusion which is the most plausible answer to this critical question.
期刊介绍：
Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry is a multidisciplinary scientific forum dedicated to advancing the frontiers of basic cellular research. It addresses scientists from both the physiological and biochemical disciplines as well as related fields such as genetics, molecular biology, pathophysiology, pathobiochemistry and cellular toxicology & pharmacology. Original papers and reviews on the mechanisms of intracellular transmission, cellular metabolism, cell growth, differentiation and death, ion channels and carriers, and the maintenance, regulation and disturbances of cell volume are presented. Appearing monthly under peer review, Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry takes an active role in the concerted international effort to unravel the mechanisms of cellular function.
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