The invasive and metastatic behaviour of tumours impacts crucially on the clinical management of cancer. Accordingly, it is important to understand the regulation of tumour cell invasiveness.

Genetic analysis of worms, Drosophila and mice has provided evidence that invasion is a genetic pathway regulated by transcription factors that are often implicated in tumour cell invasion.

Recent evidence has revealed much concerning the role of one particular transcription factor, AP1, which is involved in the regulation of a multigenic invasion program in which upregulated and downregulated genes function as invasion effectors and suppressors, respectively.

Differentially expressed genes cooperatively enhance pseudopod elongation during the mesenchymal mode of invasion by altering the function, localisation and activity of non-differentially expressed proteins.

References

 Ozanne BW, Spence HJ, McGarry LC, Hennigan RF. Invasion is a genetic program regulated by transcription factors. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2006 Feb;16(1):65-70. PMID: #16377173#

 Starz-Gaiano M, Montell DJ. Genes that drive invasion and migration in Drosophila. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2004 Feb;14(1):86-91. PMID: #15108810#

 Schlaepfer DD, Mitra SK. Multiple connections link FAK to cell motility and invasion. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2004 Feb;14(1):92-101. PMID: #15108811#

 Friedl P, Wolf K. Tumour-cell invasion and migration: diversity and escape mechanisms. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 May;3(5):362-74. PMID: #12724734#

 Hood JD, Cheresh DA. Role of integrins in cell invasion and migration. Nat Rev Cancer. 2002 Feb;2(2):91-100. PMID: #12635172#