This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kitamura, T. Articles by Taketo, M. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kitamura, T. Articles by Taketo, M. M. Related Collections Tumor Biology Tumor Biology: Inflammation and Immune Escape Therapeutics and Targets: Identification, Validation, and Markers

Keeping Out the Bad Guys: Gateway to Cellular Target Therapy

Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

Requests for reprints: Makoto M. Taketo, Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-konoé-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Phone: 81-75-753-4391; Fax: 81-75-753-4402; E-mail: taketo{at}mfour.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp.

Tumor-stromal interaction is implicated in many stages of tumor development, although it remains unclear how genetic lesions in tumor cells affect stromal cells. We have recently shown that inactivation of transforming growth factor-ß family signaling within colon cancer epithelium increases chemokine CC chemokine ligand 9 (CCL9) and promotes recruitment of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-expressing stromal cells that carry CC chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1), the cognate receptor for CCL9. We have further shown that lack of CCR1 prevents the accumulation of MMP-expressing cells at the invasion front and suppresses tumor invasion. These results provide the possibility of a novel therapeutic strategy for advanced cancer—prevention of the recruitment of MMP-expressing cells by chemokine receptor antagonist. [Cancer Res 2007;67(21):10099–102]