Hopes and Disillusions in Therapeutic Targeting of Intercellular Communication in Cancer.

Kandouz, Mustapha

doi:10.5772/19449

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 86 publications

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“…Cell-cell communication is critical for the survival and growth of multicellular organisms. In addition to growth factors and other chemical moieties, different modes of membrane-based interactions exist that are endowed with important functions and that, when defective or lost, can have dramatic impacts on cell life or death and prove instrumental in human diseases such as cancer [129,458]. It goes without saying that, considering that these interactions happen at the gate of cells, we are more concerned here with the initiation phase of cell death rather than its later phases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell Death, by Any Other Name…

Kandouz

2024

Cells

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Studies trying to understand cell death, this ultimate biological process, can be traced back to a century ago. Yet, unlike many other fashionable research interests, research on cell death is more alive than ever. New modes of cell death are discovered in specific contexts, as are new molecular pathways. But what is “cell death”, really? This question has not found a definitive answer yet. Nevertheless, part of the answer is irreversibility, whereby cells can no longer recover from stress or injury. Here, we identify the most distinctive features of different modes of cell death, focusing on the executive final stages. In addition to the final stages, these modes can differ in their triggering stimulus, thus referring to the initial stages. Within this framework, we use a few illustrative examples to examine how intercellular communication factors in the demise of cells. First, we discuss the interplay between cell–cell communication and cell death during a few steps in the early development of multicellular organisms. Next, we will discuss this interplay in a fully developed and functional tissue, the gut, which is among the most rapidly renewing tissues in the body and, therefore, makes extensive use of cell death. Furthermore, we will discuss how the balance between cell death and communication is modified during a pathological condition, i.e., colon tumorigenesis, and how it could shed light on resistance to cancer therapy. Finally, we briefly review data on the role of cell–cell communication modes in the propagation of cell death signals and how this has been considered as a potential therapeutic approach. Far from vainly trying to provide a comprehensive review, we launch an invitation to ponder over the significance of cell death diversity and how it provides multiple opportunities for the contribution of various modes of intercellular communication.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%