Cancer Cell Communications, Metastasis and Survival in the Host Microenvironment—2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer deaths [1]. When an invading cancer cell migrates out of the primary solid tumor, this cell faces unfriendly host cells in the microenvironment [2,3]. WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX)-deficient or dysfunctional cancer cells, designated WWOXd [2,3], are mainly metastatic and cannot recognize host cells and parental cancer cells. These metastatic cancer cells are able to dodge, compromise, and cause damage to the WWOX-functional normal host cells or parental cancer cells (WWOXf) from a distance [2,3]. WWOXf cells are either normal cells or benign cancer cells [2,3].

WWOXf cells migrate collectively and expel individually migrating WWOXd cells. WWOXd cells, in turn, kill a portion of WWOXf cells from a distance by significantly upregulating redox activity in WWOXf cells, leading to cell death [2,3]. It is reasonable to assume that metastatic WWOXd cells are repelled, in part, by the parental WWOXf cells in the primary tumor and then leave the home base. From a remote distance, WWOXf cells induce WWOXd cells to activate MIF, Hyal-2, Eph, and Wnt signaling pathways, followed by converging to the MEK/ERK signaling that enables WWOXd cells to undergo retrograde migration to evade WWOXf cells [2,3]. Exogenous TGF-β assists WWOXd cells to migrate forward in a collective manner and then merge with WWOXf cells, suggesting that TGF-β derived from metastatic WWOXd cells enhances the recognition and merging between WWOXd and WWOXf cell [2,3].

In this special issue, the specific topic will focus on gene alterations that contribute to changes in cancer cell migratory behavior, cell-to-cell recognition and communication, cancer cell–host cell functional antagonism, and cell survival in the host microenvironment. We welcome articles related to, but not limited to, the following:

1. Gene alteration-induced cancer cell metastasis and the underlined signaling pathways;
2. Metastatic cancer cell and host cell recognition;
3. Metastatic cancer cell modification of the host microenvironment;
4. Cancer cell-derived cytokines and/or exosomes in attacking host cells;
5. Molecular mechanisms by which host cells fight back to kill metastatic cancer cells;
6. Whether and how metastatic cancer cells and host cells compromise each other so that metastatic cancer cells can build a new home base in a target organ;
7. Innovative methodologies to measure metastatic cancer cell and host cell recognition and communication.

References

1. Fares, J.; Fares, M.Y.; Khachfe, H.H.; Salhab, H.A.; Fares, Y. Molecular principles of metastasis: A hallmark of cancer revisited. Signal Transduct. Target Ther. 2020, 5, 28.
2. Chen, Y.A.; Sie, Y.D.; Liu, T.Y.; Kuo, H.L.; Chou, P.Y.; Chen, Y.J.; Lee, K.T.; Chen, P.J.; Chen, S.T.; Chang, N.S. Normal cells repel WWOX-negative or -dysfunctional cancer cells via WWOX cell surface epitope 286-299. Commun. Biol. 2021, 4, 1–19.
3. Chou, P.Y.; Lai, F.J.; Chen, Y.A.; Sie, Y.D.; Kuo, H.L.; Su, W.P.; Wu, C.Y.; Liu, T.Y.; Wen, K.Y.; Hsu, L.J.; et al. Strategies by which WWOX-deficient metastatic cancer cells utilize to survive via dodging, compromising, and causing damage to WWOX-positive normal microenvironment. Cell Death Discov. 2019, 5, 97.

Dr. Nan-Shan Chang
Dr. Yanping Liu
Guest Editors

Dr. Thi-Ngoc Nguyen
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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• cancer cells
• cancer cell-derived cytokines
• host microenvironment
• metastasis
• gene alteration
• signaling pathways
• host cells