Pericyte-secreted IGF2 promotes breast cancer brain metastasis formation.

ABSTRACT: Brain metastases are life-threatening complications of triple-negative breast cancer, melanoma, and a few other tumor types. Poor outcome of cerebral secondary tumors largely depends on the microenvironment formed by cells of the neurovascular unit, among which pericytes are the least characterized. By using in vivo and in vitro techniques and human samples, here we show that pericytes play crucial role in the development of metastatic brain tumors by directly influencing key steps of the development of the disease. Brain pericytes had a prompt chemoattractant effect on breast cancer cells and established direct contacts with them. By secreting high amounts of extracellular matrix proteins, pericytes enhanced adhesion of both melanoma and triple-negative cancer cells, which might be partic

SUBMITTER: Molnar K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7463359 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature