CD44v6 increases gastric cancer malignant phenotype by modulating adipose stromal cell-mediated ECM remodeling.

ABSTRACT: CD44, an abundantly expressed adhesion molecule, and its alternative splice variants have been associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis. In the context of gastric cancer (GC), de novo expression of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6) is found in more than 60% of GCs, but its role in the pathogenesis and progression of this type of cancer remains unclear. Using a combination of media conditioning experiments and decellularized extracellular matrices (ECMs), this study investigates the hypothesis that CD44v6 overexpression enhances tumor cell malignant behavior by modulating stromal cell-mediated ECM remodeling. Our findings indicate that soluble factors secreted by CD44v6 expressing GC cells particularly increase proliferation and myofibroblastic differentiation of adipose stromal cells (ASCs). The

SUBMITTER: Lourenco BN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5988203 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature