Nerves switch on angiogenic metabolism
Menée à l'aide de modèles murins de cancer de la prostate, cette étude met en évidence des mécanismes par lesquels, en relâchant de la noradrélanine dans le micro-environnement tumoral, des nerfs du système nerveux autonome activent un interrupteur angiogénique et favorisent la croissance tumorale
Nerves release neurotransmitters to regulate most physiologic functions in the body. Recently, it has been recognized that nerves play dominant roles in organogenesis and tissue regeneration (1, 2). In addition, growing evidence suggests that cancer development in a variety of tissues is controlled by an assortment of nerve-mediated signals, including neurotransmitters and other molecules (3–5). The key molecules depend on the organ and the context, but the targets of neurotransmission appear to include both stem cells and the surrounding stromal cells. Both adrenergic and cholinergic nerves promote prostate cancer development, at least in part, by activating stromal cells (4). On page 321 of this issue, Zahalka et al. (6) expand on their previous findings (3) by elucidating the molecular mechanism of neurotransmission in prostate cancer, revealing that noradrenaline released from cancer-associated nerves triggers angiogenesis and thus cancer progression.
Science , commentaire, 2016