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Differentiation Programs in Development and Cancer

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Abstract

The majority of solid tumors, including breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancers, originate from normal epithelium. The differentiation programs of epithelial cells dictate their specialized function, including their cell shape, polarity, arrangement, and architecture. In epithelial malignancies, the differentiation status of a primary tumor strongly predicts its capacity for metastasis formation and resistance to chemotherapeutic agents (Bloom and Richardson 1957; Contesso et al. 1987). Poorly differentiated neoplasias typically harbor higher rates of distant metastasis formation and thus carry poorer prognoses compared to their well-differentiated counterparts. The loss of tumor differentiation is one of the central hallmarks of malignant progression, the process by which a primary tumor acquires the capacity for dissemination and metastasis (Gupta and Massague 2006; Hanahan and Weinberg 2000). Genetic studies in mice and other organisms have uncovered the molecular basis for epithelial differentiation, which is shedding light on the pathogenesis of epithelial malignancies and revealing new strategies for cancer therapeutic development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genentech, 1 DNA Way, MS-60, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA

    Hosein Kouros-Mehr

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  1. Hosein Kouros-Mehr
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Correspondence to Hosein Kouros-Mehr .

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  1. , Laboratory Of Cancer Biology and Genetic, National Cancer Institute, Convent Dr. 37, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA

    Jeffrey E. Green

  2. National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, South Drive 50, Bethesda, 20892, Maryland, USA

    Thomas Ried

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Kouros-Mehr, H. (2012). Differentiation Programs in Development and Cancer. In: Green, J., Ried, T. (eds) Genetically Engineered Mice for Cancer Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-69805-2_13

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