Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels in Cancer: Focus on altered Calcium Signaling in Cancer Cells and in Tumor Progression.

ABSTRACT: Mechanotransduction, the translation of mechanical stimuli into biological signals, is a crucial mechanism involved in the function of fundamentally all cell types. In many solid tumors, the malignant transformation is often associated with drastic changes in cell mechanical features. Extracellular matrix stiffness, invasive growth, and cell mobility are just a few hallmarks present in cancer cells that, by inducing mechanical stimuli, create positive feedbacks promoting cancer development. Among the molecular players involved in these pathophysiological processes, the mechanosensitive Ca2+-permeable Piezo channels have emerged as major transducers of mechanical stress into Ca2+ dependent signals. Piezo channels are overexpressed in several cancers, such as in breast, gastric, and bladder,

SUBMITTER: De Felice D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7407875 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature