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All Roads Lead to mTOR: Integrating Inflammation and Tumor Angiogenesis

Dung-Fang Lee and Mien-Chie Hung

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Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a crucial molecule in the control of cell size and proliferation; dysregulation of the mTOR pathway is commonly found in human cancers. Many cancer-promoting kinases have been identified as regulators of mTOR activity through phosphorylation and inactivation of the TSC1–TSC2 complex. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are tumor-promoting factors in inflammation-mediated tumor development, and the signaling molecules involved in TAMs-mediated tumor angiogenesis are not well understood. Therefore, it is urgent to elucidate the cross-talk between inflammatory cells and cancers and to explore the precise pathways involved in TAMs-induced tumor angiogenesis. Recently IKKβ was found to activate the mTOR pathway and to promote tumor angiogenesis through inactivation of the TSC1–TSC2 complex by phosphorylating TSC1. This finding provides critical insights into and suggests one mechanism behind inflammation-mediated tumor angiogenesis. In this extra-view, we briefly discuss the possible influence of TAMs-released proangiogenic factors on mTOR activation and propose a model of the cross-talk between tumors and TAMs in tumor angiogenesis.

Authors

Dung-Fang Lee

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX

Mien-Chie Hung

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Purchase article for $19

Subscribe to this journal for $129/year